flâneur

American  

[flah-nur, flah-nœr] / flɑˈnɜr, flɑˈnœr /

noun

French.

flâneurs plural

1. a person who lounges or strolls around in a seemingly aimless way; an idler or loafer.

   the flâneur, that cool, aloof observer of urban society.

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flâneur British  

/ flɑnœr /

noun

1. an idler or loafer

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• flâneurs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flâneur

First recorded in 1850–55; from French: literally, “loafer, idler, man about town,” equivalent to flân-, stem of flâner “to waste time” + -eur ( def. ); cf. flânerie ( def. )

Example Sentences

The French future belonged to the flâneur, the man of sensibility, at home in the crowd.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

A man like Rivera — just look at him — wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines like some wasted flâneur.

From Washington Post • Aug. 25, 2022

Our stories are packed with plots and characters, but the flâneur proposes that paying attention is the only thing literature needs to do.

From New York Times • Jul. 13, 2021

The images in “Blind Spot,” paired together, form a travelogue of a global flâneur, as Cole strolls through Tivoli, Brooklyn and Brazzaville, his camera capturing glimpses and fleeting impressions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2017

"All that may be true," said the flâneur, "but the fact remains that another book is still needed."

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, September 5, 1917 by Various