Published June 5, 2025 • Updated October 3, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Seuil meaning
Seuil (m.) is a C1-level French noun meaning “threshold.” It can refer literally to the threshold or doorstep of a doorway, but it is also very commonly used figuratively to describe a limit, level, or critical point. You will often see it in expressions such as seuil de pauvreté (poverty line), seuil critique (critical threshold), and seuil de tolérance (tolerance threshold).
Seuil pronunciation
The IPA pronunciation of seuil is /sœj/, which sounds approximately like “suh-y” with rounded lips.
Seuil example sentences
Julie a placé ses chaussures au seuil de la porte avant d’entrer dans la maison.
Julie placed her shoes at the doorstep before entering the house.
Plus de cinquante pourcent de la population vit en dessous du seuil de pauvreté.
More than 50% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Les personnes âgées sont en danger car la chaleur a atteint un seuil critique.
Old people are in danger because the heat reached a critical threshold.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- la limite — limit
- la frontière — boundary, border
- la borne — limit, boundary
- le niveau — level
- la marge — margin
- franchir la limite — to cross the line, exceed the limit
- être à la limite de — to be on the verge of, be at the limit of
🪶 Word origin
The French word seuil comes from Old French sueil, meaning “threshold” or “doorstep.” It ultimately derives from the Latin solea, meaning “sole” or “base.” Over time, seuil developed both its literal meaning of a doorway threshold and its figurative meaning of a limit or critical point.
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