What does blagueur mean?
A blagueur is a person addicted to joking — someone whose conversation is laced with exaggeration, pranks, and elaborate tall stories delivered so deadpan that hearers are left guessing where truth ends and invention begins. The word was borrowed from French, where it derives from "blague," meaning both a joke and a pipe pouch, and it entered English in literary circles as a label for the charming hoaxer rather than the malicious liar. Calling someone a blagueur is therefore usually affectionate: it suggests wit, theatricality, and a taste for mischief, not dishonesty. The term remains rare outside cultivated writing, but it fills a useful niche — naming that familiar figure whose every anecdote demands a grain of salt, yet whose company no one would dream of giving up.
nounA person who habitually jokes or tells tall stories; someone fond of hoaxing or bantering, especially in a way that leaves listeners unsure whether they are serious.
- A habitual joker or teller of tall tales; one who hoaxes or banters.
"An inveterate blagueur, Henri insisted for years that his vineyard was tended by monks who had taken a vow of silence."
"The old diplomat was such a blagueur that no one at the table could tell which of his anecdotes were true."
"A self-confessed blagueur, she once convinced her colleagues the office was being converted into a bowling alley."
Regular anglicized plural; pronounced with the final -s sounded in English.
"The salon attracted blagueurs of every stripe, each trying to outdo the last."
Borrowed straight from French, "blagueur" names that friend whose every story might be a hoax — and the word itself is no lie.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blagueur
Blagueur comes from the French verb "blaguer," meaning to joke or hoax, derived from the noun "blague." The ultimate origin of "blague" is uncertain, though it has been linked to Italian "burla" (a jest), making "burlesque" a distant relative. English borrowed the word in the 19th century, largely through literary usage.
Related word forms
How blagueur is actually used
Literary and somewhat rare in modern English; carries an affectionate, faintly Gallic connotation rather than implying deceitfulness. Often modified by adjectives like "inveterate" or "confirmed."
Easily confused with blagueur
"Blague" is the joke or tall tale itself, while "blagueur" is the person who tells it.