belles-lettres
[ French bel-le-truh ]
/ French bɛlˈlɛ trə /
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.
QUIZZES
LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!
Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.
Question 1 of 13
How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?
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. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for belles-lettres
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
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012