enfant terrible

See also: Enfant terrible

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French enfant terrible (“terrible child”).

Noun

enfant terrible (plural enfants terribles)

1. An unconventional badly-behaved person who causes embarrassment or shock to others.
   • 2010, Peter Coleman, Quadrant, March 2010, No. 464 (Volume LIV, Number 3), Quadrant Magazine Limited, page 86:

     He was soon the talk of the town, the enfant terrible of our little world.

2. An unusually successful person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, and/or avant-garde.

Translations

unconventional badly-behaved person

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 頑童 (zh), 顽童 (zh) (wántóng), 淘氣鬼 (zh), 淘气鬼 (zh) (táoqìguǐ)

• Dutch: enfant terrible (nl) n
• Finnish: kauhukakara (fi)
• French: enfant terrible (fr) m
• German: Enfant terrible (de) n
• Japanese: アンファンテリブル (anfan teriburu)
• Russian: анфа́н-терри́бль m (anfán-terríblʹ), несно́сный челове́к m (nesnósnyj čelovék)
• Spanish: niño terrible m

---

Catalan

Noun

enfant terrible m (plural enfants terribles)

1. enfant terrible

---

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French enfant terrible (“terrible child”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑnˌfɑn tɛˈri.blə/, [ɑ̃ˌfɑ̃ tɛˈri.blə]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

enfant terrible n (plural enfants terribles)

1. enfant terrible

---

French

Etymology

Literally, “terrible child”, i.e. “badly-behaved child”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.fɑ̃ tɛ.ʁibl/, /ɑ̃.fɑ̃ te.ʁibl/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

enfant terrible m (plural enfants terribles)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see enfant,‎ terrible.
2. enfant terrible, wild child

Descendants

• → Catalan: enfant terrible
• → Dutch: enfant terrible
• → English: enfant terrible
• → German: Enfant terrible
• → Russian: анфа́н-терри́бль (anfán-terríblʹ)