raconteur

noun

ra·​con·​teur ˌra-ˌkän-ˈtər How to pronounce raconteur (audio)
-kən-
: a person who excels in telling anecdotes

Did you know?

Raconteur Has Old French Roots

If you’re a sage of sagas, a bard of ballads, or a pro in prose, you may have lost count of the accounts you’ve recounted. Some might call you a recounter, but as a master of narrative form you may find that recounter lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. Sure, it has a cool story—it traces back to the Latin verb computere, meaning “to count”—but so do many words: compute and computer, count and account, and neither last nor least, raconteur, a singsong title better fit for a whimsical storyteller. English speakers borrowed raconteur from French in the early 19th century.

Examples of raconteur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Hawke portrays Rodgers’ former collaborator, lyricist Lorenz Hart, an alcoholic and marginally closeted raconteur grappling with the fact that Rodgers’ biggest success now belongs to a new partnership with Oscar Hammerstein. Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025 Attorney John Gleeson of West Bloomfield overcame childhood paralysis from polio to become a successful attorney, raconteur and wine connoisseur. M.l. Elrick, Freep.com, 28 July 2025 Within the theater world, Libin was a beloved and admired raconteur, a kind of living encyclopedia of show biz lore. Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 June 2025 The local Texas boys got it in front of an actor, writer, producer, raconteur named L.M. Kit Carson, who was something of a legendary figure in independent filmmaking who cowrote Paris, Texas and was once married to Karen Black. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for raconteur

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from raconter to tell, from Old French, from re- + aconter, acompter to tell, count — more at account

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of raconteur was in 1828

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Cite this Entry

“Raconteur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raconteur. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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