vive la différence

See also: vive la difference

English

Alternative forms

• vive la difference

Etymology

Borrowed from French, literally “long live the difference”, from vive (“long live”) + la (“the”) + différence (“difference, diversity”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌvivə lɑ ˌdɪfəˈɹɑns/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌviːv lɑː ˌdɪfəˈɹɒns/

Phrase

vive la différence

1. (often humorous) Used to express appreciation of diversity, especially between the sexes; sometimes referring to cultural diversity, and more rarely to diversity of opinion, as in "let's agree to disagree".
   • 2001 November 1, Sandra Díaz; Marcelo Cabido, “Vive la différence: plant functional diversity matters to ecosystem processes”, in Trends in Ecology & Evolution‎^[1], volume 16, number 11, pages 646–655:

Usage notes

• (Discuss⁽⁺⁾ this sense) Often used as a humorous exclamation (e.g., by a man appreciating an attractive woman).

Synonyms

• long live the difference

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /viv la di.fe.ʁɑ̃s/

Phrase

vive la différence

1. vive la différence, long live the difference (used to express appreciation of diversity)