French word

manière

Pronunciation

IPA/manjɛʁ/

Meaning

  • feminine nounway

Example

Je cherche une manière plus rapide de faire ça.

I'm looking for a faster way to do that.

Illustration for manière (way)

More examples

Elle a une manière de parler qui la rend sympathique.

She has a way of speaking that makes her likable.

Core concept

A selected route for carrying out an action, including the characteristic style in which it is carried out.

Common phrases

  • manière de penser

    way of thinking

  • d'une manière polie

    in a polite manner

Similar words

façon: The way someone acts or carries out an action.
méthode: A structured and orderly process for reaching a desired result.

Definition in French

Façon ou méthode employée pour faire quelque chose, incluant parfois le style ou la manière d'exprimer une action.

Word origin

Manière comes through Old French from a Latin formation based on manus, hand, whose concrete association with handling broadened into method and manner.

Usage tips

  • Manière and façon often overlap, but méthode more specifically suggests an organized or technical procedure.

Other meanings

  • stylenoun
  • mannernoun

Opposites

  • spontanéitéspontaneitynoun

Word lists with this word