enfant terrible

noun

1
a
: a child whose inopportune remarks cause embarrassment
b
: a person known for shocking remarks or outrageous behavior
2
: a usually young and successful person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, or avant-garde

Did you know?

Enfant terrible, which literally means "terrifying child" in French, sounds like something that might be uttered by a frazzled babysitter. Indeed, when English speakers first borrowed the term in the mid-19th century, it was used in reference to children - specifically, unpredictable children who blurted out outrageous remarks that embarrassed their elders. By the 1930s, the term had a broader application: an enfant terrible could be anyone - young or old - whose behavior shocked others. Now the term is also often applied to young, successful newcomers who shock or scare old-timers with their new approaches, easy successes, or disregard for tradition.

Examples of enfant terrible in a Sentence

an author who reveled in his role as the enfant terrible of American letters
Recent Examples on the Web By 1980, Claude Montana was known both as an enfant terrible and for his almost monastic adherence to the principles of apparel design. Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 In the transition from enfant terrible to elder statesman, Mamet refashioned himself as a neocon crank, sounding off like a regular contributor to the comments section of Breitbart News. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023 The once dynamic, and often provocative, musician had been the enfant terrible of contemporary classical in the 1970s, shuttling between uptown concert halls and downtown lofts and working alongside Morton Feldman, John Cage, Meredith Monk, Arthur Russell, and the S.E.M Ensemble. Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 June 2021 Danish enfant terrible Nicolas Winding Refn, director of Drive, The Neon Demon and the Pusher trilogy, has been tapped to reboot The Famous Five, based on Enid Blyton’s classic series of children’s books. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 June 2023 Estella enters the orbit of the Baroness (Emma Thompson), a fashion maven, becoming her apprentice, her in-house enfant terrible, and, lastly, her nemesis, courtesy of a twist so ridiculous that Cruella has to stand in the open air, at dawn, and spell it out for us. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 May 2021 That Korine, a filmmaker for whom the term enfant terrible might have been invented, used a teen-movie formula to do this — as well as casting three former kid stars who were in the midst of changing their images — only makes this sleazefest more subversive. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2023 This limited-edition offering from Geneva's enfant terrible horologer is simply spectacular. Alex Doak, CNN, 9 Apr. 2021 Twenty-five years after wrapping season two of his twisted hospital soap (think Grey’s Anatomy meets David Lynch), Danish enfant terrible Lars von Trier returns to his TV debut with season three. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enfant terrible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, terrifying child

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of enfant terrible was in 1851

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near enfant terrible

Cite this Entry

“Enfant terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enfant%20terrible. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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