flâneur

[ flah-nœr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, French.

, plural flâ·neurs [flah-, nœr].

a person who lounges or strolls around in a seemingly aimless way; an idler or loafer:
the flâneur, that cool, aloof observer of urban society.

flâneur

/ flɑnœr /

noun

an idler or loafer

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Word History and Origins

Origin of flâneur¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from French: literally, “loafer, idler, man about town,” equivalent to flân-, stem of flâner “to waste time” + -eur ( def ); flânerie ( def )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of flâneur¹

C19: see flânerie

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Example Sentences

Like Marcello in La Dolce Vita, Jep is a journalist and a flâneur with nothing to do.

From The Daily Beast

Many of these vignettes come alive because he spent much time as a flâneur, gleefully recording street-life.

From The Daily Beast

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