louche
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of louche
1810–20; < French: literally, cross-eyed; Old French losche, feminine of lois < Latin luscus blind in one eye
Explanation
Someone with louche taste is decadent and flashy. It’s one thing to wear gold around your neck as jewelry, but louche to have all your teeth capped in the precious metal just for the heck of it. Louche is an adjective that describes something “of questionable taste or morality" but is also kind of attractive. It comes from the French louche, which also means “squinting,” and that word comes from the Latin lusca, meaning “one-eyed.” Imagine a louche pirate with an eye patch that you just can't turn away from. It's pronounced like a little kid trying to say "loose," like "loosh." You can also use louche in place of words like decadent, shady, and sinister.
Vocabulary lists containing louche
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
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English Words Derived from French, List 11
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Notes of a Native Son
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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.
Zakee, 34, credits one crucial life change for this streak: She started listening to “Ring My Bell,” a louche disco heater released by Anita Ward in 1979.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
John Malkovich is deliciously louche as Tom Ripley in director/cowriter Liliana Cavani’s suave adaptation of Highsmith’s novel.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2024
Bold flower prints, jaunty sailor hats, and a louche suiting mix with chunky boots and letterman jackets.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2024
He was literary, like others of his family, and louche like punk London.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2023
His conduct, as the Juge d'Instruction told him, without mincing matters, was undeniably louche.
From The Mark Of Cain by Lang, Andrew
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.
