bien pensant

Alternative forms

• bien-pensant

Etymology

Borrowed from French bien pensant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bjɛ̃ pɑ̃sɑ̃/

Adjective

bien pensant (comparative more bien pensant, superlative most bien pensant)

1. Right-thinking, orthodox, conformist.
   • 2010, Bagehot, The Economist, 23 Aug 2010:

     He hopes Mr Abbott wins the election in part because it would, he says, annoy bien-pensant British journalists and Leftists who oppose the Australian's positions on things like abortion, gay marriage or climate change.

Noun

bien pensant (plural bien pensants)

1. A person who is bien pensant.
2. Someone who accepts and/or espouses a fashionable idea after it has been established and maintains it without a great amount of critical thought.

Adjective

bien pensant (feminine singular bien pensante, masculine plural bien pensants, feminine plural bien pensantes)

1. Alternative spelling of bien-pensant

Noun

bien pensant m (plural bien pensants)

1. Alternative spelling of bien-pensant