frondeur

noun

fron·deur frōⁿ-ˈdər

: rebel, malcontent

Examples of frondeur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

At the end of January, Valls was defeated in the Socialist Party race by Benoît Hamon, a dapper frondeur, a member of a rebel faction. —

Elisabeth Zerofsky, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2017

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, slinger, participant in a 17th century revolt in which the rebels were compared to schoolboys using slings only when the teacher was not looking

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of frondeur was in 1798

See more words from the same year