French word

canaille

Pronunciation

IPA/kanaj/

Meaning

  • feminine nounscoundrel

Example

Arrête d'agir comme une canaille.

Stop acting like a scoundrel.

Illustration for canaille (scoundrel)

More examples

Il est une vraie canaille.

He is a real scoundrel.

Core concept

A troublesome person whose playful mischief or dishonesty makes others wary.

Common phrases

  • espèce de canaille

    you scoundrel

Similar words

vaurien: An idle, worthless person regarded as untrustworthy.
coquin: A cheeky person who enjoys playful mischief.
fripouille: A dishonest, scheming person who deceives others.

Definition in French

S'emploie souvent ironiquement, pour traiter quelqu'un de coquin, immoral ou peu fiable.

Word origin

French canaille was borrowed from Italian canaglia, a word for rabble or low people that later developed the sense of a rogue.

Usage tips

  • Canaille is a feminine noun even for a male person, so the usual phrase is une canaille, not un canaille.

Other meanings

  • villainnoun
  • riffraffnoun

Related words

  • canailleriescoundrel behaviornoun

Word lists with this word