Log in or Sign up
  1. contretemps love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. An unforeseen event that disrupts the normal course of things; an inopportune occurrence.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. An unexpected and untoward event; an embarrassing conjuncture; a “hitch.”
  2. n. In music, same as syncopation.

Wiktionary

  1. n. An unforeseen, inopportune, or embarrassing event; a hitch
  2. n. fencing An ill-timed pass.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. An unexpected and untoward accident; something inopportune or embarrassing; a hitch.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. an awkward clash

Etymologies

  1. French (Wiktionary)
  2. French : contre-, against (from Latin contrā-; see contra-) + temps, time (from Latin tempus). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

Show 10 more examples...

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘contretemps’.

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • smgrantham An inopportune or embarrassing situation or event; a hitch. Mar 31, 2009

  • bilby As today's Word of the Day on dictionary.com, suggested pronunciation is \KAHN-truh-tahn\.

    I'd rather eat rocks. Mar 31, 2009

  • palooka "An unforeseen event that disrupts the normal course of things; an inopportune occurrence." AHD May 7, 2008

Tweets

Looking for tweets for contretemps.

‘contretemps’ has been looked up 3190 times, loved by 10 people, added to 83 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 17.