femme fatale

American  

[fem fuh-tal, -tahl, fey-, fam fa-tal] / ˌfɛm fəˈtæl, -ˈtɑl, feɪ-, fam faˈtal /

noun

femmes fatales plural

1. an irresistibly attractive woman, especially one who leads men into difficult, dangerous, or disastrous situations; siren.

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femme fatale British  

/ ˈfɛm fəˈtæl, fam fatal, -ˈtɑːl /

noun

1. an alluring or seductive woman, esp one who causes men to love her to their own distress

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• femmes fatales
  plural

Etymology

Origin of femme fatale

< French: literally, fatal woman

Example Sentences

Femme fatale, fallen woman, brazen double agent — every generation has its own version of Mata Hari.

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2017

PERUGIA, Italy — Femme fatale or hapless young American woman abroad?

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2011

Femme fatale No. 1: Carolyn Warmus, a former schoolteacher with a taste for high fashion and a penchant for liking the wrong guy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• courtesan
• temptress
• vamp