bien pensant

or bien-pen·sant

[ byen pen-sahnt; French byan pahn-sahn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

blindly conventional or orthodox; having or based on beliefs that are acceptably proper or correct:
In bien pensant circles, it has become fashionable to speak of India and China in the same breath, though these countries have little in common.

noun

a person who adopts conventional or orthodox beliefs without critical judgment:
I've been called an opinionated bien pensant.

bien-pensant

/ bjɛ̃pɑ̃sɑ̃ /

adjective

right-thinking; orthodox

noun

a right-thinking person

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bien pensant¹

First recorded in 1840–45; from French: literally, “well thinking,” equivalent to bien, from Latin bene “well” + pensant, present participle of penser “to think”; pensive ( def )