beau geste

9.9

An action that looks noble or generous but has little real effect

noun
/boʊ ˈʒɛst/

: gesto noble

The donation was a beau geste, but it did little to solve the real problem.

Examples

Lighting a candle at the ceremony was more a beau geste than a meaningful act of remembrance.
His donation was just a beau geste to impress the crowd.
He offered to resign as a beau geste, fully expecting his offer would not be accepted.
She made a beau geste by giving her old clothes to charity.
His donation was merely a beau geste, intended to gain approval without addressing the issue.
Lighting a candle in memory of the lost loved ones felt like a beau geste rather than a sincere tribute.
Offering his help was a beau geste, but it created more confusion than assistance.

Synonyms

pomp

vsbeau geste

Formal

21 7.6

A grand, showy display meant to impress people

is similar in appearance but often lacks genuine significance or effect

flummery

vsbeau geste

Archaic

1 9.9

Empty praise and ceremony that try to impress without real value

is a gracious-looking action that is often only ceremonial and empty

How Meaningful

to sacrifice

394 3.4

thoughtful gesture

1 3.9

beau geste

9.9

action

∞ 1.3

Surface Forms

beau geste singular

beau gestes plural

Morphology

beau + geste

This is a French loan literally meaning 'beautiful gesture' (beau = beautiful, geste = gesture), so a learner who knows the constituents would infer a noble or gracious act. However, the idiomatic nuance that it is often merely ceremonial or lacking real significance is pragmatic and culturally specialized and not fully predictable from the literal words, making the expression only partially transparent.

Etymology

Beau geste comes from the French words beau and geste, meaning 'beautiful' and 'gesture'. One popular story says it was used for showy acts that looked noble but did not change anything, so today beau geste means an action that seems generous or noble but is only for show.