enfant terrible
an incorrigible child, as one whose behavior is embarrassing.
an outrageously outspoken or bold person who says and does indiscreet or irresponsible things.
a person whose work, thought, or lifestyle is so unconventional or avant-garde as to appear revolutionary or shocking.
Origin of enfant terrible
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use enfant terrible in a sentence
But what happens when the enfant terrible has enfants of her own?
At 39, he is no longer young enough to be an enfant terrible, but people still peg him as a kid too cool to grow up.
Wedekind, who to the mtier of the artist joins that of the enfant terrible, strains in this play every nerve to shock.
Modernities | Horace Barnett SamuelI'm afraid we have got an enfant terrible among us, though I can't complain of my share of the compliments.
A Garland for Girls | Louisa May AlcottThen there was Bobby, the little brother, an enfant terrible and a perfect little duck.
A House Party with the Tucker Twins | Nell Speed
Silently rebuking myself as an enfant terrible, I refused to answer further questions.
Autobiography of a YOGI | Paramhansa YoganandaJerry arrived at nine, full of thanks to her, and carried the enfant terrible off to her school.
Cinderella Jane | Marjorie Benton Cooke
British Dictionary definitions for enfant terrible
/ French (ɑ̃fɑ̃ tɛriblə) /
a person given to unconventional conduct or indiscreet remarks
Origin of enfant terrible
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for enfant terrible
[ (ahn-fahn te-ree-bluh) ]
A person who stirs things up in an irresponsible or indiscreet way or has unconventional ideas: “Doctor Hill keeps writing articles that criticize his fellow physicians; he is becoming known as the enfant terrible of his profession.” From French, meaning “terrible child.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse