beau monde

American  

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

noun

1. the fashionable world; high society.

---

beau monde British  

/ ˈbəʊ ˈmɒnd, bo mɔ̃d /

noun

1. the world of fashion and society

---

Etymology

Origin of beau monde

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

Example Sentences

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

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

But though it is the glittering beau monde which draws the reader’s eye, this story is more about those who served them, and the rise of the less-glittering services industry.

From Economist

The original marketing brochure for the bronze Trump Tower likened it to a “precision-cut diamond” that epitomized elegance, sophistication and beau monde with the highest prices and an entrance “inaccessible to the public.”

From New York Times

It was a glamorous home-from-home to Proust, Hemingway and the beau monde.

From The Guardian