bon vivant

American  

[bon vee-vahnt, bawn vee-vahn] / ˈbɒn viˈvɑnt, bɔ̃ viˈvɑ̃ /

noun

plural

bons vivants

1. a person who lives luxuriously and enjoys good food and drink.

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bon vivant British  

/ bɔ̃ vivɑ̃ /

noun

1. Also called (but not in French): bon viveur.  a person who enjoys luxuries, esp good food and drink

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Usage

What does bon vivant mean? A bon vivant is a person who enjoys living “the good life”—a connoisseur of food and drink and of the other things that go along with a life of leisure and luxury. Bon vivant comes from French, in which it’s used as an adjective that literally means “good living.”The term bon vivant is typically associated with the kind of sociable person who’s good at entertaining and can keep the party going with a good story. However, the term is sometimes used to suggest that such a person is overly indulgent. Sometimes, bon vivant is written with a hyphen, as bon-vivant. Example: The hostess was a charming bon vivant who made sure to keep the food coming and the music playing late into the evening.

Etymology

Origin of bon vivant

From French

Example Sentences

Rodríguez Castro is known as a notorious bon vivant.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Creating such stunning clothing is demanding work that has left Anne little time for anyone else, something Sevigny — a modern bon vivant if there ever was one — says felt true to her life.

From Salon • May 2, 2025

“We’re like, ‘What if we flip this around and we have the con man here be like Jude Law, this bon vivant, outgoing guy.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2025

Swapping a beltway bon vivant for the so-called Prince of Darkness is, however, a risk.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2025

Root was a notorious bon vivant, whom Louis Sullivan once described as “a man of the world, of the flesh, and considerably of the devil.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• connoisseur