c'est la vie

UK/ˌseɪ.læˈviː/UK/ˌsɛ.læˈviː/US/ˌseɪ.lɑˈvi/

phrase

An expression of acceptance of misfortune in life; that's life; such is life; so it goes

Similar
it is as it isit is how it isit is what it islife's a bitchshit happensso be itso is lifeso it goes
OriginFrench c'est la vie →
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Meanings

phrase
  1. An expression of acceptance of misfortune in life; that's life; such is life; so it goes
    1 more example

    Incidentally, it is common to store Prolog code in files with a .pl suffix. It’s an indication of what the file contains (namely Prolog code) and with some Prolog implementations you don’t actually have to type in the .pl suffix when you consult a file. Nice — but there is a drawback. Files containing Perl scripts usually have a .pl suffix too, and nowadays there are a lot of Perl scripts in use, so this can cause confusion. C’est la vie.

    2006, Patrick Blackburn · Johan Bos · Kristina Striegnitz, Learn Prolog Now!, §1.4

    Synonyms: it is as it is, it is how it is, it is what it is, life's a bitch, shit happens, so be it, so is life, so it goes

Synonyms & antonyms

phraseAn expression of acceptance of misfortune in life; that's life; such is life; so it goes

Similar
it is as it isit is how it isit is what it islife's a bitchshit happensso be itso is lifeso it goessuch is lifethat's lifethat's that and this is thisthat's the way it goesthat’s the way it playsthat's the way life isthat's the way the ball bouncesthat's the way the cookie crumblesthat's the way the mop flopsthem's the breaks
Also see
it is what it islife's a bitchshit happensso be itso it goessuch is lifethat's lifethat's the way life isthem's the breaks

Origin

  1. Frenchc'est la vie
  2. Englishc'est la vie

Unadapted borrowing from French c'est la vie.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

c'est la vie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/c'est%20la%20vie

MLA

“c'est la vie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/c'est%20la%20vie. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “c'est la vie,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/c'est%20la%20vie.

Source: c'est la vie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.