Meaning & use
gourmandise
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Meanings
noununcountableformalrare
The habit of eating large amounts of food, or the pleasure of eating too much.
Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or a plural: 'his gourmandise', not 'a gourmandise'.
Patterns
- someone's gourmandise
- a life of gourmandise
His gourmandise was obvious from the empty plates piled on the table.
She spoke of her gourmandise with a smile, admitting she could never resist a second helping.
noununcountableformalrare
Great enjoyment of fine food and drink, especially in large quantities.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used to describe a lifestyle or a personal quality.
Patterns
- a love of gourmandise
- indulge in gourmandise
The restaurant is a temple of gourmandise, where every dish is rich and generous.
Their holiday was dedicated to gourmandise, visiting markets and trying local specialties.
Common combinations
- pure gourmandise
- The dessert was pure gourmandise, too rich for a weekday dinner.
- an act of gourmandise
- Ordering three courses was an act of gourmandise.
- guilty gourmandise
- He ate the whole cake with guilty gourmandise.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gluttony
- Gluttony is a more disapproving word for the sin of overeating, while gourmandise often carries a more neutral or even positive tone of enjoying food.
- greed
- Greed is a general word for wanting too much of anything, not just food; gourmandise is specifically about eating.
- epicureanism
- Epicureanism is a formal, philosophical term for the pursuit of pleasure, especially through food and drink, whereas gourmandise is more concrete and less theoretical.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gourmandise or gourmet? gourmandise or gourmand?
gourmandise vs gourmet
Gourmet refers to a person or to high-quality food, while gourmandise is the behavior or pleasure of eating a lot.
gourmandise vs gourmand
Gourmand is the person who eats a lot; gourmandise is the habit or enjoyment itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'gourmandise' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Gourmandise' is an uncountable noun meaning the habit or pleasure of eating a lot, so it fits as the subject in 'His gourmandise led him...'. Option 0 treats it as a person (should be 'gourmand' or 'gourmet'), option 2 uses it as an adjective (should be 'gourmet' or 'gourmandizing'), and option 3 uses it as a verb (there is no verb 'to gourmandise' in standard English).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gourmandise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.