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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• femmes fatales
  plural

Etymology

Origin of femme fatale

< French: literally, fatal woman

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

femme fatale

Ploughing a similar furrow is Israel's Noam Bettan, whose heart has been shredded by a femme fatale called Michelle.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

But facts were easily eclipsed by lurid speculation, particularly when Short’s nickname was made public: The Black Dahlia was, after all, the perfect moniker for a femme fatale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

He has the tender, shining eyes of an ingenue while Del Campo, who has a striking birthmark on her cheek, is a femme fatale able to hold her own against Wolff’s selfish, useless playboy.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025

Does Baron’s naïveté mean he is on the list of cinematic dimwits who have never seen a movie with a femme fatale?

From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

The femme fatale must be back, Veronica Lake slinks again.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• courtesan
• temptress
• vamp