femme fatale

noun femme fa·tale \ ˌfem-fə-ˈtal , ˌfam- , -ˈtäl \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: femme fatale in a Sentence

Definition of femme fatale

plural femmes fatales play \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

See femme fatale defined for English-language learners

Examples of femme fatale in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of femme fatale from the Web

As the star studded Cannes Film Festival builds to a triumphant crescendo this weekend, It-girls and actresses are raising the stakes on their big night beauty signatures—from navy smoky eyes to femme fatale inspired dye jobs.

— jenna rennert, Vogue, "How a Victoria's Secret Model Takes Red Carpet Hair to The Pool," 17 May 2018
Seyfried’s mysterious hacker bears all the hallmark tropes of a femme fatale.

— bryan bishop, The Verge, "Netflix’s Anon is an augmented reality neo-noir nightmare," 4 May 2018
Red Sparrow’s Dominika (Jennifer Lawrence) is defined solely by her femme fatale–ness.

— lauren larson, GQ, "Killing Eve Is the New Psychopath Show That Will Stab Your Sunday Night in the Fucking Eye," 6 Apr. 2018
The smash hit, off the 1989 album, includes a video of Swift seeking revenge after a fellow femme fatale betrays her by pushing her out a window.

— ginger rough, azcentral, "Did Taylor Swift and Katy Perry end their long-running feud in Phoenix?," 8 May 2018
As the two women become increasingly obsessed with each other, Villanelle reverses the style of a typical femme fatale, wearing everyday basics on her missions while saving the chicest items in her wardrobe for her days off.

— melania hidalgo, The Cut, "How to Dress Like TV’s Chicest Assassin," 27 Apr. 2018
The subject of Janet Fitch’s 1999 novel White Oleander is a femme fatale who kills her cheating lover with the venomous flower of the book’s title, and leaves her daughter abandoned to a string of foster homes.

— amandas ong, The Atlantic, "Why Pop Culture Links Women and Killer Plants," 17 Apr. 2018
Villanelle is a practical, physical assassin, never resorting to the classic tropes of a femme fatale who uses seduction as a weapon.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Sandra Oh’s Been Waiting 30 Years for a Show Like Killing Eve," 6 Apr. 2018
There’s a sultry femme fatale, leading our protagonist into moral dissolution.

— tara isabella burton, Vox, "Great movies about faith are hard to come by. Enter Blue Velvet.," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'femme fatale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.