fainéant
Americanadjective
noun
plural
fainéantsnoun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- faineance noun
Etymology
Origin of fainéant
First recorded in 1610–20; from French, earlier fait-nient, literally, “he does nothing,” folk etymology of Old French faignant “idler,” noun use of present participle of se faindre “to shirk ”; see feign, faint
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Doubtless the fainéant condition of nearly all the daimyōs at this time made the accomplishment of this event more easy.
From Japan by Murray, David
The best answer can be found in the story of the Colony, for the General Assembly, at all events, has never been a fainéant ruler.
From The Long White Cloud by Reeves, William Pember
Let me tell you, Lady Glencora, that a fainéant government is not the worst government that England can have.
From Phineas Finn The Irish Member by Trollope, Anthony
It is only for the loafer that he has no pity; when he has called a fellow-creature fainéant, he has used the strongest invective in his vocabulary.
From English Pharisees and French Crocodiles and Other Anglo-French Typical Characters by O'Rell, Max
The situation was that in which the fainéant king accepts the act of the mayor of the palace because it is Hobson’s choice.
From The Dust Flower by Kline, Hibberd V. B. (Hibberd Van Buren)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
