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Glite Dictionary
😬 Very awkward 🟥 Extremely left-wing
très gauche

très gauche

9.9
Very left-wing in politics
  • adjective
  • /trɛs ɡoʊʃ/
  • Informal
translation icon : muy de izquierda
  • The columnist dismissed the manifesto as très gauche, arguing it would alienate centrist voters.

Examples

  • In the interview she admitted her views were très gauche, emphasizing social equality above all.

  • Activists joked that the new candidate's tax plan was très gauche and likely unelectable.

  • His views are quite très gauche for a mainstream politician.

  • Don't be so très gauche about the issue!

  • The politician's très gauche stance on wealth redistribution drew both praise and criticism from different factions.

  • Many people found his jokes très gauche, reflecting his strong leftist beliefs in a humorous way.

  • During the debate, her très gauche platform alienated potential voters who preferred a more moderate approach.

Synonyms

left
vstrès gauche
163 1.0

Toward the side opposite the right or toward more liberal politics

is a much more extreme political stance rather than a mere directional shift
leftist
vstrès gauche
99 4.4

Supporting more social equality and government help in the economy

is a much stronger, often humorous or critical way to name that political stance
left-wing
vstrès gauche
51 3.6

Political ideas that want more equality and social change

is a much stronger, often humorous or critical form of that stance

How Left-wing

très gauche
  • Informal
9.9
far left
28 6.3
leftist
63 3.5
left-wing
51 3.6

Surface Forms

très gauche positive

Morphology

très + gauche

Given the listed constituent meanings ('très' = very; 'gauche' = awkward), a B1 learner would infer 'very awkward', which does not match the intended political sense. The political meaning is a borrowing from French ('gauche' = left) and thus is not derivable from the English interpretations of the parts, making the expression unpredictable for learners.

Etymology

Très gauche literally joins très ('very') and gauche ('left'), giving the clear image of something placed far to the left. So très gauche is used to describe views or people who are 'very' on the 'left', meaning 'extremely left-wing' today.