femme fatale

noun

femme fa·​tale ˌfem-fə-ˈtal 

ˌfam-, 

-ˈtäl 

plural femmes fatales ˌfem-fə-ˈtal(z) 

ˌfam-, 

-ˈtäl(z)

1

: a seductive woman who lures men into dangerous or compromising situations

2

: a woman who attracts men by an aura of charm and mystery

Synonyms of femme fatale

• siren

Examples of femme fatale in a Sentence

an actress who was often cast as cynical, sexy femmes fatales

Recent Examples on the Web

Making quite the dynamic entrance as sultry femme fatale Beth is Pamela Anderson. —Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025

The glaringly obvious evildoer and patently secretive femme fatale are guilty the whole time. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

Neither a film noir femme fatale nor a jealous housewife, Sarah Trafford (Ruth Wilson) has come to Oxford Investigations for help in solving a mystery that has little to do with her own life. —Judy Berman, Time, 30 Oct. 2025

With her new album, SCALD, the musician and NYMPHOWARS host is the femme fatale of our nightmares and dreams. —Charlie Markbreiter, Them., 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, disastrous woman

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for femme fatale

• duopoly
• melancholy
• pulmonale
• triticale
• akali
• bengali
• diwali
• loblolly
• naphtali
• nepali
• secale
• somali