malgré lui

adverb

Contrary to their desires or ambitions.

OriginFrench malgré →
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Meanings

adverbmalgré lui (not comparable)
  1. not comparableContrary to their desires or ambitions.

    […] and he pities "that class of young ladies who malgré lui are bound to fall in love with these wooden specimens of youthful manhood."

    1977, John Halperin, Trollope and Politics: A Study of the Pallisers and Others, page 257

Origin

  1. Frenchlui“him”
  2. Frenchmalgré“against”
  3. Englishmalgré lui

Borrowed from French malgré (“against”) and French lui (“him”).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

malgré lui. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malgr%C3%A9%20lui

MLA

“malgré lui.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malgr%C3%A9%20lui. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “malgré lui,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malgr%C3%A9%20lui.

Source: malgré lui on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.