Meaning & use
tête brûlée
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Meaning
nouncountableliteraryrare
A person who acts with reckless daring, often risking their life for excitement or a cause.
Grammar: Countable; used mainly in literary or historical contexts. Plural: têtes brûlées.
Patterns
- a tête brûlée
- the têtes brûlées
In the novel, the young soldier is a tête brûlée who volunteers for every dangerous mission.
The film portrays her as a tête brûlée, always chasing the next thrill.
He was known as a tête brûlée among his friends, never backing down from a challenge.
Word forms
| plural | têtes brûlées |
|---|
Common combinations
- a bit of a tête brûlée
- He's a bit of a tête brûlée, always taking unnecessary risks.
- act like a tête brûlée
- She acted like a tête brûlée and drove way too fast.
- known as a tête brûlée
- The pilot was known as a tête brûlée for his daring stunts.
- young tête brûlée
- The young tête brûlée ignored all warnings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- daredevil
- More common in everyday English; daredevil often implies a showy or thrill-seeking person, while tête brûlée is more literary and can suggest recklessness for a cause.
- hothead
- Hothead emphasizes quick temper and impulsiveness, whereas tête brûlée focuses on daring and risk-taking.
Opposites
Commonly confused: tête brûlée or crème brûlée?
tête brûlée vs crème brûlée
Crème brûlée is a dessert with a caramelized sugar top; tête brûlée means a reckless person. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tête brûlée' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct answer is B: 'tête brûlée' means a reckless person. An and D confuse it with 'crème brûlée', a dessert. C is nonsensical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tête brûlée”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.