fin de siecle

A form of fin de siècle — Pertaining to the close of the 19th century, usually suggesting a literary and artistic climate of modernism, world-weariness, and self-indulgence.

Similar
fin-de-sieclefinished
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Meanings

adjectivefin de siecle (not comparable)
  1. alternativenot comparableAlternative spelling of fin de siècle.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiverelating to or characteristic of the end of a century (especially the end of the 19th century)

Similar
fin-de-sieclefinished

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

One of many instances of the tendency in English not to bother using the original diacritics on loanwords; other examples include cafe, naivete, resume, and deja vu. Further encouraged by the fact that keyboard layouts used by English speakers require extra keystrokes to produce diacritics.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

fin de siecle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fin%20de%20siecle

MLA

“fin de siecle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fin%20de%20siecle. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fin de siecle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fin%20de%20siecle.

Source: fin de siecle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.