bonhomie

noun

bon·​ho·​mie ˌbä-nə-ˈmē 

ˌbō-

: good-natured easy friendliness

an undying bonhomie radiated from her

—Jean Stafford

bonhomous

ˈbä-nə-məs 

adjective

Did you know?

English speakers borrowed bonhomie from French, where the word was created from bonhomme, which means "good-natured man" and is itself a composite of two other French words: bon, meaning "good," and homme, meaning "man." That French compound traces to two Latin terms, bonus (meaning "good") and homo (meaning either "man" or "human being"). English speakers have warmly embraced bonhomie and its meaning, but we have also anglicized the pronunciation in a way that may make native French speakers cringe. (We hope they will be good-natured about it!)

Examples of bonhomie in a Sentence

the bonhomie of strangers singing together around a campfire

Recent Examples on the Web

The meeting between senior officials from both countries was a striking display of bonhomie after three years of American efforts to isolate Moscow for its 2022 invasion. —Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025

Further strengthening the impression, the prime minister and his entourage were treated with respect and bonhomie during their visit to Washington. —Jonathan Kay, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017

The relative bonhomie of the Obama administration, when the countries held wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional, and global issues, is unlikely to return any time soon. —Zhou Bo, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2024

Some informal soccer even took place, now an iconic image of the bonhomie (although whether any games actually got going is disputed). —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French bonhomie, from bonhomme good-natured man, from bon good + homme man

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bonhomie

• foamy
• homey
• komi
• loamy
• colostomy
• lobotomy
• naomi
• salome
• potawatomi
• tracheostomy

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