bon ton
[bon ton; French bawn tawn]
- good or elegant form or style.
- something regarded as fashionably correct: The bon ton in this circle is to dress well and know influential people.
- fashionable society.
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Origin of bon ton
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for bon ton
Historical Examples
Oh, bright divinity, why hide those radiant charms in sylvan shades, when charms of fashion and bon-ton beckon you away!
The Art of AmusingFrank Bellew
Lonely in his selfishness was he left to breathe out the small soul of a man of bon-ton!
Godolphin, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
Shelby drifted back to the main street and found the Bon-Ton Grocery where it had been when he deserted the wagon.
In a Little TownRupert Hughes
Emmerich was not a common mender of "old soles," but was the shoemaker to the bon-ton of Baltimore.
Between the LinesHenry Bascom Smith
Who entered here, though his brow were tall and his spirit strong, left his bon-ton behind.
The Army Mule and Other War SketchesHenry A. Castle
bon ton
- sophisticated manners or breeding
- fashionable society
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Word Origin
literally: good tone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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