demimonde

noun

demi·​monde ˈde-mi-ˌmänd 

ˈde-mē-

plural demimondes

1

a

: a class of women on the fringes of conventional society supported by wealthy lovers

also : their world

b

: the world of sex work

Opening as an underworld drama, set among the demimonde of Viennese sex workers and gangsters, it soon shifted gear—and location, moving to the countryside and becoming something far richer and more unexpected …

—Variety

2

: a distinct circle or world that is often an isolated part of a larger world

The demimondes depicted by the American master Martin Scorsese vary widely—his New York stories alone span three centuries—but they have one common requirement: It takes intelligence, of one kind or another, to navigate them.

—Sean T. Collins

especially : one having low reputation or prestige

Yet, when he wanders from the leafy, comfortable districts into the criminal and sexual demimondes of Bombay, he is transfixed …

—Kirkus Reviews

… in Act 1, it's back to Paris and the demimonde of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. His posters depict the lively nightlife of Montmartre and its absinthe-soaked denizens.

—Daniella Walsh

Synonyms

• demiworld
• half-world
• netherworld
• underbelly
• underworld

Examples of demimonde in a Sentence

a documentary examining the demimonde of organized crime

Recent Examples on the Web

Should their conditions worsen or improve, the end result is the same – promising an instant and irrevocable erasure of this demimonde forged from slumber. —Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024

The film’s writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos, a connoisseur of Biblical violence and creator of cursed demimondes, likes to push viewers to the limit. —Thomas Page, CNN, 21 June 2024

Adelstein in Tokyo Vice also suffers from Japanese-superiority complex after being thrust into a beguiling demimonde of yakuza gangsters and gorgeous hostesses who garnish his adventures with Kobe beef and bottle service. —Ryu Spaeth, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2024

The film’s attitude toward the demimonde of Hong Kong sugar daddies and the models who pretend to love them boils down to a cheeky and rather thoughtless shrug. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

French demi-monde, from demi- + monde world, from Latin mundus

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1a