enfant terrible
noun
äⁿ-fäⁿ-te-ˈrēblᵊ
äⁿ-fäⁿ-te-ˈrēblᵊ
Did you know?
Enfant terrible, which literally means "terrifying child" in French, sounds like something that might be uttered by a frazzled babysitter. Indeed, when English speakers first borrowed the term in the mid-19th century, it was used in reference to children - specifically, unpredictable children who blurted out outrageous remarks that embarrassed their elders. By the 1930s, the term had a broader application: an enfant terrible could be anyone - young or old - whose behavior shocked others. Now the term is also often applied to young, successful newcomers who shock or scare old-timers with their new approaches, easy successes, or disregard for tradition.
Examples of enfant terrible in a Sentence
Judy Berman, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Still, Scherzinger was fascinated with the way the enfant terrible’s brain worked and his ability to attract a new generation of theatergoers to London’s once-stodgy West End.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
The spectacular failure of aspiring enfant terrible David Hogg this week in the first test of his youth movement in an Arizona House primary would seem to point in the same direction, but look closer.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 18 July 2025
Blockbuster: Caravaggio 2025, Palazzo Barberini Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio—known far and wide as Caravaggio—was quite the enfant terrible.
—Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for enfant terrible
Cite this Entry
“Enfant terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enfant%20terrible. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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