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Synonyms

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.


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

"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

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of femme fatale

< French: literally, fatal woman

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.

See Examples For:

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

Abrasive, shallow and giddily watchable, her Wow Platinum — what a name! — twiddles her clawed fingers like a femme fatale dead certain she can charm her way to the top.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 26, 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

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