bon mot

[ bon-moh; French bawn-moh ]

See synonyms for bon mot on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural bons mots

[bon-mohz; French bawn-moh]. /ˈbɒn ˈmoʊz; French bɔ̃ ˈmoʊ/.

a witty remark or comment; clever saying; witticism.

Origin of bon mot

1725–35; <French: literally, good word; see boon², motto

Words that may be confused with bon mot

bon mot , mot juste

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bon mot in a sentence

A talented cartoonist, distinguished practical joker, and recognized as one of the kings of bon mot, he led a free and easy life.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
A joke, a banter, a bon-mot, make more impression upon the man of the world than all the grave notions of his religion.
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean Meslier
A bon-mot of one of the Townsends is recorded, on his taking his seat.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 348 | Various
The bon mot I was about to utter apropos of an opera I had never heard has left my mind entirely.
Bizarre | Lawton Mackall
He also tells of an instance in parliament, and of a rather brilliant bon mot spoken upon that occasion.
1601 | Mark Twain

British Dictionary definitions for bon mot

bon mot

/ (French bɔ̃ mo) /

nounplural bons mots (bɔ̃ mo)

a clever and fitting remark

Origin of bon mot

French, literally: good word

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

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