French word

perdant

Pronunciation

IPA/pɛʁdɑ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounloser

Example

Le perdant baisse la tête.

The loser lowers his head.

Illustration for perdant (loser)

More examples

Il refuse d'admettre qu'il est un perdant.

He refuses to admit that he's a loser.

Core concept

A competitor with the losing result, head lowered after the contest.

Common phrases

  • être un perdant

    be a loser

  • traiter quelqu'un de perdant

    call someone a loser

Similar words

vaincu: A person who was defeated in a battle or match.
battu: A person who was beaten by an opponent in a competition.
éliminé: A person knocked out of a tournament or selection process.

Definition in French

Personne qui subit une défaite dans un jeu, un match ou une compétition, ou qui est considérée comme vaincue.

Word origin

Perdant comes from the present participle of perdre and was made a noun, while perdre descends through Old French from Latin perdere, "to destroy or lose."

Usage tips

  • Perdant can be neutral in sports reports, whereas English loser often sounds more insulting or personal.

Other meanings

  • losingadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word