bonhomie

American  

[bon-uh-mee, bon-uh-mee, baw-naw-mee] / ˌbɒn əˈmi, ˈbɒn əˌmi, bɔ nɔˈmi /

noun

1. frank and simple good-heartedness; a good-natured manner; friendliness; geniality.

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bonhomie British  

/ bɔnɔmi, ˈbɒnəmiː /

noun

1. exuberant friendliness

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Other Word Forms

• bonhomous adjective

Etymology

Origin of bonhomie

First recorded in 1795–1805; from French, equivalent to bonhomme “good-natured man” ( boon ², Homo ) + -ie -y ³

Example Sentences

I prefer transactions with no veneer of bonhomie or friendship, no wine bottle on the kitchen counter with a note: “We hope you enjoy the place as much as we do.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Strumming a guitar at an unlikely cookout deep in country, Duvall somehow manages to convey fearless confidence and a singular brand of well-armed bonhomie that has no equivalent in movies.

From Los Angeles Times

After some cheese and crackers and forced bonhomie, we all trooped back to our desks and then commuted home.

From The Wall Street Journal

At a dinner on Fifth Avenue where Churchill was the guest of honor, Mitchell, trying to maintain his usual bonhomie, stood up and offered a toast: “To my fellow former millionaires.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The former high school hero is still coasting on his charisma and only starting to realize how little he’ll have once he loses his looks and life-of-the-party bonhomie.

From Los Angeles Times