raconteur

noun

ra·​con·​teur ˌra-ˌkän-ˈtər 

-kən-

: a person who excels in telling anecdotes

Did you know?

Raconteur Has Old French Roots

If you’re a sage of sagas, a bard of ballads, or a pro in prose, you may have lost count of the accounts you’ve recounted. Some might call you a recounter, but as a master of narrative form you may find that recounter lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. Sure, it has a cool story—it traces back to the Latin verb computere, meaning “to count”—but so do many words: compute and computer, count and account, and neither last nor least, raconteur, a singsong title better fit for a whimsical storyteller. English speakers borrowed raconteur from French in the early 19th century.

Examples of raconteur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Simon was also a writer, a raconteur and a great public speaker. —Tiffany Kelly, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2025

The fact that this vibrant, voracious, wonderful raconteur with an encyclopedic knowledge of his subject would die from Alzheimer’s seems all the sadder, with no hope anyone could possibly replace him. —John Mariani, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Only Hackman could shift like that, from raconteur to angel of death. —Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025

Easton’s a peerless listener and lively raconteur, both curious and worldly. —Matt Thompson, SPIN, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from raconter to tell, from Old French, from re- + aconter, acompter to tell, count — more at account

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for raconteur

• amour
• auteur
• grandeur
• hauteur
• velour
• verdure
• voyeur
• doer
• poor
• poore

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