bonhomie

noun

bon·​ho·​mie ˌbä-nə-ˈmē 

ˌbō-

: good-natured easy friendliness

an undying bonhomie radiated from her

—Jean Stafford

bonhomous

ˈbä-nə-məs 

adjective

Did you know?

English speakers borrowed bonhomie from French, where the word was created from bonhomme, which means "good-natured man" and is itself a composite of two other French words: bon, meaning "good," and homme, meaning "man." That French compound traces to two Latin terms, bonus (meaning "good") and homo (meaning either "man" or "human being"). English speakers have warmly embraced bonhomie and its meaning, but we have also anglicized the pronunciation in a way that may make native French speakers cringe. (We hope they will be good-natured about it!)

Examples of bonhomie in a Sentence

the bonhomie of strangers singing together around a campfire

Recent Examples on the Web

Putin emerged from Beijing’s bonhomie last week – discussing immortality with his main bankroller, President Xi Jinping, and sharing his limo with wavering US ally, Indian leader Narendra Modi – aware that China wanted to parade its own bloc, unbowed. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025

The bonhomie is also notable considering the different approach taken elsewhere. —Alex González Ormerod, Time, 6 Sep. 2025

China-Russia-India ties deepen Beijing and Moscow’s leaders were seen to be putting on a display of bonhomie at the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Monday. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025

The bonhomie did not last long. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French bonhomie, from bonhomme good-natured man, from bon good + homme man

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bonhomie

• foamy
• homey
• komi
• loamy
• colostomy
• lobotomy
• naomi
• salome
• potawatomi
• tracheostomy

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