bien pensant

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bien pensant

/ˌbyɛn pɛnˈsɑnt/
/ˌbjæ̃ pɒ̃ˈsɒ̃/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from French bien-pensant (literally “well-thinking”).

adjective more bien pensant · most bien pensant · bien-pensant

Right-thinking; orthodox, conformist. He hopes Mr Abbott wins the election in part because it would, he says, annoy bien-pensant British journalists and Leftists who oppose the Australian's positions on things like abortion, gay marriage or climate change.

noun bien pensants · bien-pensant

A person who is bien pensant.
Someone who accepts and/or espouses a fashionable idea after it has been established and maintains it without a great amount of critical thought. Near-synonyms: follower, believer, conformist
Similar: follower, believer, conformist

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MLA

"bien pensant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bien%20pensant. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bien pensant. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bien%20pensant

Chicago

"bien pensant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bien%20pensant.

BibTeX

@misc{bien_pensant_2026,
  title = {bien pensant},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bien%20pensant},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}