Meanings
plural causes célèbres · alternative US cause celebre
- UKAn issue or incident (originally, a legal case) arousing widespread controversy or public debate.
As Musk has waged this pressure campaign, he has incessantly posted in support of the far right in Europe and their current causes célèbres.
2025 January 10, Ali Breland, “Elon Has Appointed Himself King of the World”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 11 Jan 20251 more example
Getting iced out by the tech giants turned Parler into a cause célèbre for conservatives who complained they were being censored, as well as a test case for the openness of the internet.
2021 February 15, Jack Nicas, “Parler, a Social Network That Attracted Trump Fans, Returns Online”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2021
Origin
From French cause (“cause, case”) + célèbre (“famous”), in the title of an 18th-century compilation of famous legal cases, Causes célèbres.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 引起轟動的事件 /引起轰动的事件
- 引起轟動的事件 /引起轰动的事件 (yǐnqǐ hōngdòng de shìjiàn)issue or incident arousing heated public debate
Dutch cause célèbre
- cause célèbreissue or incident arousing heated public debate
Finnish kohuoikeudenkäynti
- kohuoikeudenkäyntiissue or incident arousing heated public debate
French fait polémique
- fait polémiqueissue or incident arousing heated public debate
German Cause célèbre, aufsehenerregende Sache
- Cause célèbreissue or incident arousing heated public debate
- aufsehenerregende Sacheissue or incident arousing heated public debate
- berühmter Fallissue or incident arousing heated public debate
Italian caso famoso
- caso famosoissue or incident arousing heated public debate
Polish głośna sprawa
- głośna sprawaissue or incident arousing heated public debate
Portuguese acontecimento polémico
- acontecimento polémicoissue or incident arousing heated public debate
Russian гро́мкое де́ло
- гро́мкое де́ло (grómkoje délo)issue or incident arousing heated public debate
Spanish tema de interés
- tema de interésissue or incident arousing heated public debate
Swedish cause célèbre
- cause célèbreissue or incident arousing heated public debate
Cite this entry
cause célèbre. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cause%20c%C3%A9l%C3%A8bre
“cause célèbre.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cause%20c%C3%A9l%C3%A8bre. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cause célèbre,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cause%20c%C3%A9l%C3%A8bre.
Source: cause célèbre on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.