Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

demimonde

play
noun demi·monde \ˈde-mi-ˌmänd, -mē-\

Definition of demimonde

  1. 1a :  a class of women on the fringes of respectable society supported by wealthy lovers; also :  their worldb :  the world of prostitution

  2. 2 :  a distinct circle or world that is often an isolated part of a larger world a night in the disco demimonde; especially :  one having low reputation or prestige

Explore M-W

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
image1489982902
Devilish Words
alt-59973139034d4
Trending: 'Svengali' Bannon leaving White House
watercolor-squares
We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

Examples of demimonde in a Sentence

  1. a documentary examining the demimonde to which homosexuals were relegated before the start of the gay rights movement

Origin and Etymology of demimonde

French demi-monde, from demi- + monde world, from Latin mundus

demimonde Synonyms

Synonyms
netherworld, demiworld, half-world, underbelly, underworld
Related Words
abyss, depths

Learn More about demimonde

  1. See words that rhyme with demimonde Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for demimonde

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up demimonde? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

depredate

play

to plunder or ravage

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. Svengali 'A person who manipulates'

  2. syzygy An obscure astronomy term goes mainstream

  3. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  4. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  5. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

demimonde

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

  • time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
  • Which came first?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

watercolor-squares
We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

It's about (you? your?) having your say.

image1489982902
Devilish Words

Don't blame a word use error on the devil.

alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

dog-covering-face
Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: demimonde in a Sentence