Meaning & use
enfant
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Meanings
nouncountableformalliteraryrare
A child; this French word is kept in English only in formal, literary, or French-style writing.
Grammar: Takes a plural 'enfants' in French fashion, but this standalone use is very rare in English.
Patterns
- an enfant (literary or French contexts)
The governess referred to her young charges simply as 'the enfants' in her letters.
In the memoir he recalls himself as a nervous enfant, always hiding behind his mother.
The waiter smiled at the restless enfant and brought a small dessert for the child.
nounusually singularfigurative
Occurs in the fixed phrase 'enfant terrible', meaning a person, especially an artist or celebrity, whose shocking or unconventional behavior surprises and fascinates people.
Grammar: Used only in the phrase 'enfant terrible'; the plural is 'enfants terribles'.
Patterns
- an enfant terrible of something
- the enfant terrible of the art world
The young director became the enfant terrible of European cinema with his violent, rule-breaking films.
Critics called her the enfant terrible of the fashion industry because of her outrageous runway shows.
He enjoyed his reputation as the enfant terrible of the newspaper, always attacking sacred cows.
Word forms
| plural | enfants |
|---|---|
| plural (full phrase) | enfants terribles |
Common combinations
- an enfant terrible of (a field)
- He was the enfant terrible of modern architecture, famous for buildings nobody thought could stand.
- earn a reputation as an enfant terrible
- By thirty she had earned a reputation as an enfant terrible with her provocative novels.
- treat someone like an enfant terrible
- The press treated the senator as an enfant terrible, reporting every scandalous remark.
Synonyms and how they differ
- child
- The normal, neutral English word for a young person; use it instead of 'enfant' in everyday speech.
- kid
- Informal equivalent of 'child'; much more common in conversation but unsuitable for formal writing.
- brat
- A disapproving word for a badly behaved child; 'enfant terrible' suggests a famous or talented adult whose misbehavior is almost admired.
Opposites
Word family
- infant noun
- Not a true relative in modern English; it means a very young baby, not a French-style 'child'.
Commonly confused: enfant or infant?
enfant vs infant
Similar spelling and shared Latin root, but 'infant' means a baby (roughly under one year old), while 'enfant' is the French word for child used only in borrowed phrases.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'enfant' correctly and naturally in English?
Choose one answer.
'Enfant terrible' is a fixed phrase for a famous person whose shocking behavior fascinates the public, so option An is correct. Options B and D wrongly use the French word as an everyday synonym for 'child' (a common learner mistake), and option C misuses the phrase to mean 'a pleasant person', which reverses its actual sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “enfant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.