enfant terrible

enfant terrible

See also: Enfant terrible

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French enfant terrible (“terrible child”).

Noun

enfant terrible (plural enfants terribles)

1. An unconventional badly-behaved person who causes embarrassment or shock to others.
   • 2010, Peter Coleman, Quadrant, March 2010, No. 464 (Volume LIV, Number 3), Quadrant Magazine Limited, page 86:

     He was soon the talk of the town, the enfant terrible of our little world.

2. An unusually successful person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, and/or avant-garde.

Translations

unconventional badly-behaved person

Chinese: Mandarin: 頑童／顽童 (zh) (wántóng), 淘氣鬼／淘气鬼 (zh) (táoqìguǐ) Dutch: enfant terrible (nl) n Finnish: kauhukakara (fi) French: enfant terrible (fr) m German: Enfant terrible (de) n Japanese: アンファンテリブル (anfan teriburu) Russian: анфа́н-терри́бль m (anfán-terríblʹ), несно́сный челове́к m (nesnósnyj čelovék) Spanish: niño terrible m

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Catalan

Noun

enfant terrible m (plural enfants terribles)

1. enfant terrible

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French enfant terrible (“terrible child”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑnˌfɑn tɛˈri.blə/, [ɑ̃ˌfɑ̃ tɛˈri.blə]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

enfant terrible n (plural enfants terribles)

1. enfant terrible

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French

Etymology

Literally, “terrible child”, i.e. “badly-behaved child”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.fɑ̃ tɛ.ʁibl/, /ɑ̃.fɑ̃ te.ʁibl/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

enfant terrible m (plural enfants terribles)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see enfant,‎ terrible.
2. enfant terrible, wild child

Descendants

• → Catalan: enfant terrible
• → Dutch: enfant terrible
• → English: enfant terrible
• → German: Enfant terrible
• → Russian: анфа́н-терри́бль (anfán-terríblʹ)