noun
Meaning 1
An unforeseen, inopportune, or embarrassing event.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hitch, mishap
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
contretemps
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɒn.tɹə.tɑ̃ŋ/
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US: /ˈkɑːn.tɹə.tɑ̃/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: K AA1 N T R AH0 T EH2 M P S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
An ill-timed pass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: fencing, government, hobbies, lifestyle, martial-arts, military, politics, sports, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
an awkward clash
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he tried to smooth over his contretemps with the policeman
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: brush, clash, encounter, skirmish
History
Etymology
Borrowed from French contretemps.
Across languages
Translations
17 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- French: contretemps — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- German: unglücklicher Zufall — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- German: Unannehmlichkeit — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- German: Zwischenfall — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- German: Widrigkeit — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Norwegian Bokmål: strek i regningen — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Norwegian Bokmål: uhell — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Norwegian Nynorsk: strek i regninga — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Norwegian Nynorsk: uhell — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Polish: scysja — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Polish: spięcie — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Portuguese: contratempo — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Spanish: contratiempo — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Swedish: motighet — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Swedish: oförmodat hinder — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Swedish: streck i räkningen — an unforeseen or embarrassing event
- Swedish: missöde — an unforeseen or embarrassing event