Word
monde
US/ˈmɑnd/
UK/mˈɒnd/
Definition
n. the world or a group of people. It is a French word that English speakers sometimes use to sound sophisticated or when talking about high society.
n. the world or a specific social sphere. Borrowed from French; typically appears in specific phrases like 'beau monde' to refer to fashionable society or 'grand monde' for the aristocracy.
Examples
“She was well-known among the local beau monde.”
“The young artist hoped to make a name for himself within the Parisian beau monde during the summer season.”
“His memoirs provide a cynical look at the vanities of the beau monde, detailing the elaborate social rituals that governed the lives of the nineteenth-century elite.”
Examples
simple
“She was well-known among the local beau monde.”
contextual
“The young artist hoped to make a name for himself within the Parisian beau monde during the summer season.”
complex
“His memoirs provide a cynical look at the vanities of the beau monde, detailing the elaborate social rituals that governed the lives of the nineteenth-century elite.”
Usage
Usually appears as part of a French loan-phrase rather than as a standalone English noun.
Etymology
From French monde. Doublet of mondo.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/monde