beau monde

American  

[boh mond, boh mawnd] / ˈboʊ ˈmɒnd, boʊ ˈmɔ̃d /

noun

1. the fashionable world; high society.

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beau monde British  

/ ˈbəʊ ˈmɒnd, bo mɔ̃d /

noun

1. the world of fashion and society

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Etymology

Origin of beau monde

1705–15; < French: literally, fine world. See beau, monde

Example Sentences

Once upon a time, Slim Aarons would have been the one to capture such beau monde happenings.

From New York Times

The largest are more than 10 feet tall, and they’re profuse with Mediterranean color that must have startled the Russian beau monde at cocktail hour.

From New York Times

If there were a moment that epitomized the English beau monde’s self-styled insouciance in the face of the London Blitz, it took place in April 1941, at the Savoy Hotel.

From New York Times

She would sit and talk long into the night with the flamboyant artist Francis Bacon and the rest of that decade's rakish beau monde.

From BBC

Ronald is very good at detailing the development of luxury hotels and casinos on the French Riviera, and the Goulds’ efforts to create a holiday destination for the beau monde.

From New York Times