fainéant
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
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
The government of a native state by clerks and chuprassies, with a beautiful fainéant Political Agent for Sundays and Hindu festivals, is, I am told, a thing of the past.
From Twenty-One Days in India; and, the Teapot Series by Aberigh-Mackay, George Robert
The Invisible King is not, after all, a roi fainéant.
From God and Mr. Wells A Critical Examination of 'God the Invisible King' by Archer, William
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
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.
