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Glite Dictionary
bel esprit

bel esprit

9.9
A person who is clever, quick with words, and well educated
  • noun
  • /bɛl ɛspri/
  • Formal
translation icon : bel esprit
  • She became known as a bel esprit in the city's literary circles.

Examples

  • His remarks confirmed his reputation as a bel esprit among his colleagues.

  • Her reputation as a bel esprit precedes her.

  • The salon was filled with artists and bel esprit eager to share their ideas.

  • Julian is truly a bel esprit in our group.

  • His witty comments have established him as a bel esprit in every conversation.

  • Many of her friends consider her a bel esprit because of her clever insights.

  • The event was a gathering of renowned thinkers and bel esprit, sharing their intellectual pursuits.

Synonyms

wit
vsbel esprit
53 4.8

A person who thinks quickly and says clever, funny things

has more refined intellect and cultured style rather than general amusement
quipster
vsbel esprit
7.9

A person who often makes short clever remarks

focuses more on refined intellect rather than frequent remarking
quipper
vsbel esprit
7.9

A person who often says short clever comments to make people laugh

emphasizes refined intellect over often making quick remarks

Antonyms

fool
  • Offensive
∞ 1.4

A person who makes poor decisions and is easily tricked

simpleton
  • Offensive
21 7.3

A person who is not very smart and trusts people easily

Surface Forms

bel esprit singular
bel esprits plural

Morphology

bel + esprit

If a learner knows the constituent French words ('bel' ≈ beautiful/good and 'esprit' ≈ mind/wit) they can approximate the sense 'a person with a beautiful/spirited mind' and therefore infer someone witty or clever. However, because the phrase is a French loan with idiomatic/conventional usages and not formed by standard English composition patterns, the exact connotations are not fully predictable to a B1 learner, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Bel esprit literally comes from two French words: bel meaning 'beautiful' and esprit meaning 'mind' or 'spirit'. In old gatherings of writers and thinkers, people with quick, clever ideas were praised as bel esprit, so today the phrase means 'a witty, clever person'.