femme fatale

American  

[fem fuh-tal, -tahl, fey-, fam fa-tal] / ˌfɛm fəˈtæl, -ˈtɑl, feɪ-, fam faˈtal /

noun

femmes fatales plural

1. an irresistibly attractive woman, especially one who leads men into difficult, dangerous, or disastrous situations; siren.

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femme fatale British  

/ ˈfɛm fəˈtæl, fam fatal, -ˈtɑːl /

noun

1. an alluring or seductive woman, esp one who causes men to love her to their own distress

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Etymology

Origin of femme fatale

< French: literally, fatal woman

Example Sentences

Ploughing a similar furrow is Israel's Noam Bettan, whose heart has been shredded by a femme fatale called Michelle.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

Will you be surprised to learn he carries with him a dark secret, or that his estranged wife, as opposed to the radiant daughter of the boat’s skipper, is one doozy of a femme fatale?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

He has the tender, shining eyes of an ingenue while Del Campo, who has a striking birthmark on her cheek, is a femme fatale able to hold her own against Wolff’s selfish, useless playboy.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2025

Does Baron’s naïveté mean he is on the list of cinematic dimwits who have never seen a movie with a femme fatale?

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024

The femme fatale must be back, Veronica Lake slinks again.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• courtesan
• temptress
• vamp