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belles-lettres
[ French bel-le-truh ]
/ French bɛlˈlɛ trə /
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plural noun
literature regarded as a fine art, especially as having a purely aesthetic function.
light and elegant literature, especially that which is excessively refined, characterized by aestheticism, and minor in subject, substance, or scope.
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synonym study for belles-lettres
1. See literature.
OTHER WORDS FROM belles-lettres
bel·let·rist [bel-le-trist], /bɛlˈlɛ trɪst/, nounbel·let·ris·tic [bel-li-tris-tik], /ˌbɛl lɪˈtrɪs tɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby belles-lettres
Bellefontaine Neighbors, Belle Glade, belle indifférence, Belle Isle, Bellerophon, belles-lettres, belletrist, Belleville, Belleville spring, Bellevue, bellflower
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use belles-lettres in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for belles-lettres
belles-lettres
/ (French bɛllɛtrə) /
noun
(functioning as singular) literary works, esp essays and poetry, valued for their aesthetic rather than their informative or moral content
Word Origin for belles-lettres
C17: from French: fine letters
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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