j'accuse

English

Etymology

Borrowing from French J’Accuse ("I accuse"), the title of an 1898 open letter from writer Emile Zola to the president of France during the Dreyfus Affair.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒəˈkjuːz/
• Rhymes: -uːz

Noun

j'accuse (plural j'accuses)

1. An accusation, especially one made publicly. [from 19th c.]

   Synonyms: indictment, tirade; see also Thesaurus:diatribe

   • 2009, Jack Balkin, The Guardian (online), 17 Mar 2009:

     It was a rare combination of circumstances that led Cramer to agree to sit still and listen to Stewart engage in his j'accuse.

   • 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 369:

     Buried within Dudley's petition, then, was a veiled ‘j'accuse’.

   • 2020 June 3, Jeffrey Goldberg, “James Mattis Denounces President Trump”, in The Atlantic:

     In his j’accuse, Mattis excoriates the president for setting Americans against one another.

Usage notes

As it is a loanword and not naturalized in English, j'accuse is typically italicized in print.

Related terms

• accusation
• accuse
• accuser