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Synonyms

fainéant

American  
[fey-nee-uhnt, fe-ney-ahn] / ˈfeɪ ni ənt, fɛ neɪˈɑ̃ /

adjective

  1. Also faineant idle; indolent.

noun

plural

fainéants

  1. an idler.

fainéant British  
/ ˈfeɪnɪənt, fɛneɑ̃ /

noun

  1. a lazy person; idler

"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

adjective

  1. indolent

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of fainéant

First recorded in 1610–20; from French, earlier fait-nient, literally, “he does nothing,” folk etymology of Old French faignant “idler,” noun use of present participle of se faindre “to shirk ”; see feign, faint

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.

The Company contents itself with being Mayor of the Palace, while the Roi Faineant is suffered to play at being a sovereign.

From Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches — Volume 4 by Macaulay, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron

The Count de Faineant embraced me with more ardour than ever I was embraced by mortal man.

From A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy by Sterne, Laurence

Then was written, in rough bold characters, the words, "Le Noir Faineant".

From Ivanhoe by Scott, Walter, Sir

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.