WORD OF THE DAY: BON VIVANT
noun | bahn-vee-VAHNT
A bon vivant is a sociable person who has refined tastes especially with respect to food and drink.
// She has become something of a bon vivant since moving to Paris, going out most nights and delighting in the city’s many restaurants.
EXAMPLE OF BON VIVANT
“The vineyard is named for the exiled French aristocrat Charles de Saint-Évremond, a symbol of hedonistic Anglo-French cooperation. The bon vivant introduced champagne to England and party-loving Charles II made him governor of Duck Island in St James’s Park.” — Phoebe Taplin, The Guardian (London), 12 Sept. 2026
DID YOU KNOW?
In French, bon vivant literally means “good liver”—that is, one who lives well. English speakers have used bon vivant since the late 17th century to refer specifically to those who subscribe to a particular kind of good living—one that involves lots of social engagements and the enjoyment of fancy food and drink. This puts the term very much in the company of some other French words. Gourmet, gourmand, and gastronome all refer to those who love a fancy meal, though gourmand often carries the connotation of a tendency to overindulge.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
