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bon ton

American  
[bon ton, bawn tawn] / ˈbɒn ˈtɒn, bɔ̃ ˈtɔ̃ /

noun

  1. good or elegant form or style.

  2. something regarded as fashionably correct.

    The bon ton in this circle is to dress well and know influential people.

  3. fashionable society.

bon ton British  
/ bɔ̃ tɔ̃ /

noun

  1. sophisticated manners or breeding

  2. fashionable society

"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

Etymology

Origin of bon ton

1765–75; < French: literally, good tone. See boon 2, tone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Secret societies however are anything but forbidden under Dutch rule in Java,—on the contrary, it is rather bon ton to belong to some one of the lodges of freemasonry existent out there.

From Project Gutenberg

He had the manners of a high-bred English gentleman, but that did not, of course, constitute the something that made him a favourite, because bon ton, manners are happily not rare.

From Project Gutenberg

Quite a child she was, hardly more than eight, but with all the quiet dignity and easy affability that is only to be found among children of the bon ton.

From Project Gutenberg

"I shall be � la mode, I shall be � la mode and very bon ton and tr�s bon ton."

From Project Gutenberg

They were the �lite, the bon ton, the upper crust, and were looked on as such by the other slaves.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.