Definition of plus ça change in English:
plus ça change
exclamationˌpluː sa ˈʃɒ̃ʒply sa ʃɑ̃ʒˌplo͞o sä ˈSHônZH
Used to express resigned acknowledgement of the fundamental immutability of human nature and institutions.
Example sentencesExamples
- Conversely, attackers will ponder technical or tactical means of attack: plus ça change.
- I was like that back then, an opinionated little git (yeah yeah, plus ça change…).
- But just when it appeared that change was imminent, with the arrival of a no-nonsense government minister whose tough job was to effect change in public-police relations, up pops another apparent case of plus ça change!
- But the lesson from the forthcoming White Paper is plus ça change.
- Religion, colonialism and social mores, traced back through several centuries, give a picture of the plus ça change nature of humanity that few historic novels ever attain.
Origin
French, from plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose 'the more it changes, the more it stays the same'.
Definition of plus ça change in US English:
plus ça change
exclamationˌplo͞o sä ˈSHônZH
Used to express resigned acknowledgment of the fundamental immutability of human nature and institutions.
Example sentencesExamples
- I was like that back then, an opinionated little git (yeah yeah, plus ça change…).
- But the lesson from the forthcoming White Paper is plus ça change.
- Conversely, attackers will ponder technical or tactical means of attack: plus ça change.
- But just when it appeared that change was imminent, with the arrival of a no-nonsense government minister whose tough job was to effect change in public-police relations, up pops another apparent case of plus ça change!
- Religion, colonialism and social mores, traced back through several centuries, give a picture of the plus ça change nature of humanity that few historic novels ever attain.
Origin
French, from plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose ‘the more it changes, the more it stays the same’.