# let them eat cake

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/let-them-eat-cake
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Used to express a profound disconnect between the elite and the unprivileged or underprivileged, suggesting a callous indifference or detachment to their suffering.

## Examples

- The politician ignores the poor and basically says let them eat cake.
- The wealthy landlord has a let them eat cake attitude toward his tenants.
- When the CEO suggested that workers should just walk to work during the transit strike, his attitude was a classic case of let them eat cake.
- Telling people to buy expensive electric cars when they cannot afford gas is a modern way to say let them eat cake.
- The billionaire showed he was out of touch when he told the hungry crowd to let them eat cake by ordering organic salads.
- The aristocrat’s dismissive response to the famine, which essentially told the starving masses to let them eat cake, ignited the fury of the revolution.

## Origin

Calque of French qu'ils mangent de la brioche. Incorrectly attributed to the last Queen of France prior to the French Revolution Marie Antoinette (1755–1793), the phrase actually originates from Confessions (Rousseau).

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.