métier

noun

mé·​tier ˈme-ˌtyā 

me-ˈtyā

variants or less commonly metier

1

: vocation, trade

Journalism is her métier.

2

: an area of activity in which one excels : forte

Chess had become his métier.

Did you know?

Over the centuries, English has borrowed several French words related in some way to work or working, among them oeuvre (“a substantial body of work of a writer, an artist, or a composer”) and travail (“work of a laborious nature, toil”). Métier (pronounced /MET-yay/) is another. It is sometimes translated from its original French as “job” or “career” but in that language it more accurately refers to the trade or profession in which one works (it traces back to the Old French mistier, meaning “duty, craft, profession”). In English we tend toward a narrower meaning for métier, referring either to a job for which one is perfectly suited or a particular field in which one is extremely skilled. This makes it a synonym of another French borrowing, forte.

Synonyms of métier

• specialty
• thing
• speciality

Choose the Right Synonym for métier

work, employment, occupation, calling, pursuit, métier, business mean a specific sustained activity engaged in especially in earning one's living.

work may apply to any purposeful activity whether remunerative or not.

her work as a hospital volunteer

employment implies work for which one has been engaged and is being paid by an employer.

your employment with this firm is hereby terminated

occupation implies work in which one engages regularly especially as a result of training.

his occupation as a trained auto mechanic

calling applies to an occupation viewed as a vocation or profession.

the ministry seemed my true calling

pursuit suggests a trade, profession, or avocation followed with zeal or steady interest.

her family considered medicine the only proper pursuit

métier implies a calling or pursuit for which one believes oneself to be especially fitted.

acting was my one and only métier

business suggests activity in commerce or the management of money and affairs.

the business of managing a hotel

Examples of métier in a Sentence

After trying several careers, she found her true métier in computer science.

public speaking is not my métier, as others can attest

Recent Examples on the Web

Much like Catastrophe, Derry Girls combines irreverent farce with weightier issues that sometimes take you by surprise but never betray the series’ light-hearted metier. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026

The idea is to showcase the brand’s metiers capability, and this year’s Guilloché version takes it up a notch with an engraved rose gold dial, case and bezel. —Carol Besler, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

Sports has been his main metier, including during a run at Turner Broadcasting in the 2000s. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025

That store, which is also two stories and offers all 16 metiers, is inspired by the local Sonoran Desert and pays homage to the sunlight and succulents prevalent in the area. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025

Turning from his father’s trade of corset-making, Paine tried his hand at business, met and impressed Benjamin Franklin in London, sailed to America, and there found his true metier as a pamphleteer and radical. —Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025

Allende is solidly back in her metier with a multigenerational cast of characters, thrilling action in Chile and a sprinkling of magical realism. —The Know, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025

Photo : Chopard Imperiale Chopard Imperiale Chopard’s Imperiale collection was launched in 2010 to showcase the company’s in-house metiers capabilities, combined with in-house premium mechanical movements. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Old French mistier, mestier "divine service, function, duty, craft, profession" — more at mystery entry 2

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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