Use “de rigueur” when something is treated as expected, customary, or practically required by a social or professional convention. It is formal, so a plain alternative such as “expected,” “standard,” or “customary” is often clearer in everyday writing. This guide explains the modern meaning and pattern without making unsupported claims about when the expression entered English.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionPhrases & Idioms
Quick answer
“De rigueur” is a formal expression meaning required or expected by fashion, custom, or convention. It commonly appears after a linking verb, often in the pattern “de rigueur for …”.
Key details
Core Meaningrequired or expected by fashion, custom, or convention
Grammar Patterncommonly used predicatively, including “be de rigueur” and “de rigueur for …”
Registerformal
Further guidance
Meaning
The expression describes something treated as expected or required because of a convention, norm, or fashion rather than because a law or physical necessity demands it.
Meaning Boundary
Do not automatically use “de rigueur” for anything merely important. The phrase points to what convention, fashion, or established practice expects.
Pattern
A common structure is “X is de rigueur,” optionally followed by “for” plus a group or situation: “Dark suits are de rigueur for the ceremony.”
Register
Cambridge marks the expression formal. In plain professional prose, “expected,” “standard,” “customary,” or “the norm” may be more transparent when no stylistic effect is needed.
Worked Examples
“Formal dress is de rigueur for the gala” means the convention expects formal dress. “Two-factor authentication is now de rigueur in many security-sensitive teams” uses the phrase figuratively for an established professional norm.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
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