Meanings
nounbon vivant (plural bon vivants or bons vivants)
plural bon vivants · plural bons vivants · alternative bon-vivant
- A man who enjoys luxurious things in life, especially good food and drink; a man about town.
Synonyms: bon viveur, hedonist, bon viveur, epicure, epicurean, hedonist, high-stepper, lapling
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA man who enjoys luxurious things in life, especially good food and drink; a man about town.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink)
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchbon vivant
- Englishbon vivant
Borrowed from French bon vivant (literally “one who lives well, good ‘liver’ (living person)”), from bon (“good”) + vivant (“person who is living”), agent noun of vivre (“to live”).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan sibarita, vividor
- sibaritaperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- vividorperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- vividoraperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- panxacontentperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- panxacontentaperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Czech požitkář, bonviván
- požitkářperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- bonvivánperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Danish levemand, livsnyder
- levemandperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- livsnyderperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Dutch levensgenieter, bon-vivant
- levensgenieterperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- bon-vivantperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- pallieterperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- pretmakerperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Esperanto bonvivanto
- bonvivantoperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Estonian elunautija
- elunautijaperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Finnish elämännautiskelija, elostelija
- elämännautiskelijaperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- elostelijaperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
French bon vivant, bonne vivante
- bon vivantperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- bonne vivanteperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
German Bonvivant, Lebemann
- Bonvivantperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- Lebemannperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- Genussmenschperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Greek φιλήδονος, καλοζωιστής
- φιλήδονος (filídonos)person who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- καλοζωιστής (kalozoïstís)person who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- μπον βιβέρ (bon vivér)person who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Hungarian bonviván
- bonvivánperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Italian gaudente, viveur
- gaudenteperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- viveurperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- viveuseperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Norwegian Bokmål livsnyter, levemann
- livsnyterperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- levemannperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Polish bon vivant
- bon vivantperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Portuguese boêmio
- boêmioperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Russian жуи́р, бонвива́н
- жуи́р (žuír)person who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- бонвива́н (bonviván)person who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Spanish vividor, vividora
- vividorperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- vividoraperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Swedish goddagsplit, livsnjutare
- goddagsplitperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- livsnjutareperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- vivörperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- lebemanperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
- festprisseperson who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food and drink
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with bon vivant
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
bon vivant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bon%20vivant
MLA
“bon vivant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bon%20vivant. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bon vivant,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bon%20vivant.
Source: bon vivant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.