Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bon vivant

/ˌbɑn vɪvˈɑnt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.21 in modern English

Syllables
bon -vi-vant
IPA
/ˌbɑn vɪvˈɑnt/
17
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A man who enjoys luxurious things in life, especially good food and drink; a man about town.

Etymology

Borrowed from French bon vivant (literally “one who lives well, good ‘liver’ (living person)”), from bon (“good”) + vivant (“person who is living”), agent noun of vivre (“to live”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌbɑn vɪvˈɑnt/
  • British English: /ˌbɒ̃ viːˈvɒ̃/

Inflected Forms

bon vivants (plural) bons vivants (plural) bon-vivant (alternative)

Phrases

joie de vivre bonne vivante man about town

Frequently Paired Words

joie de vivre bonne vivante boulevardier dandy man about town

Synonyms

bon viveur hedonist epicure epicurean high-stepper lapling lotus-eater pleasure seeker pleasurist sensualist softling sybarite

Rhymes With

want wont font entente fondant quant wan't fount bouffant poitou-charentes ront

Questions

How do you pronounce bon vivant?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌbɑn vɪvˈɑnt/.
What does bon vivant mean?
A man who enjoys luxurious things in life, especially good food and drink; a man about town.
Where does bon vivant come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce bon vivant

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bon vivant”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌbɑn vɪvˈɑnt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bon vivant”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “bon vivant” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.