flâneur

[flah-nœr]

noun

French.

plural

flâneurs 

1. a person who lounges or strolls around in a seemingly aimless way; an idler or loafer.

   the flâneur, that cool, aloof observer of urban society.

flâneur

/ flɑnœr /

noun

1. an idler or loafer

Word History and Origins

Origin of flâneur¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from French: literally, “loafer, idler, man about town,” equivalent to flân-, stem of flâner “to waste time” + -eur ( def. ); flânerie ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of flâneur¹

C19: see _flânerie

Example Sentences

“The Fact Checker” is narrated by a man holding the titular title who is, essentially, a flâneur: a literary type who wanders around his urban environment, observing and commenting on society from a somewhat detached position.

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“He was the quintessential bohemian flâneur, just this extraordinary figure who you couldn’t miss walking up and down the streets.”

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But George is no mere flâneur.

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Marshall was a high school English teacher in New Orleans who was passionate about childhood literacy, but he also ran a travel consulting company called Le Flâneur Noir that helped people book personalized trips around the world.

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A man like Rivera — just look at him — wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines like some wasted flâneur.

Read more on Washington Post