Definition of bon viveur in English:
bon viveur
nounplural noun bon viveurs, plural noun bons viveurs/ˌbän vēˈvər/ /ˌbɑn viˈvər/ /-ˈvərz/
another term for bon vivant
‘In a very modest, middle-class, Midlands kind of way, he was a bon viveur - he enjoyed his whisky, fine wines and Sombrane cigarettes.’
- ‘The bon viveur should not expect a limitless good life.’
- ‘They actively seek thrills in dangerous sports and tend to be bons viveurs who live in the moment and, like Epimetheus, take little account of the future.’
- ‘He remained a critic of censorship, a bon viveur, and a raffish wit.’
- ‘Herbert was a bon viveur who loved fast cars, foreign travel, fine wines, mountain air, and genial company.’
- ‘He was a man of leisure, a noted bon viveur, and suffered badly from gout.’
- ‘To these might be added his reputation as a bon viveur and raconteur par excellence.’
- ‘He was a bon viveur who drank and smoked even though he had asthma as well as heart trouble.’
- ‘And in an age when hairdressing salons are a bit like assembly lines it's refreshing to meet a real raconteur and bon viveur.’
- ‘He studied law and economics before graduating at 20 and starting a career as a film writer and self-styled bon viveur.’
Pronunciation
Origin
Mid 19th century pseudo-French, from French bon ‘good’ and viveur ‘a living person’, on the pattern of bon vivant.
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