marie antoinette: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Most historians agree she almost certainly did not. The phrase was a common Rousseau anecdote about a 'great princess' years before Marie Antoinette arrived in France, and was later attributed to her by revolutionaries as propaganda.

Very rarely. Its dominant connotation is negative (out of touch, decadent). It might be used with irony or in very specific contexts like fashion ('a Marie Antoinette-inspired gown'), where the focus is on extravagance rather than moral criticism.

No. It is standard to write the two names without a hyphen: Marie Antoinette. A hyphen might appear in adjectival use (e.g., Marie-Antoinette-style furniture) but is not part of the name itself.

The difference lies in the vowel of the final syllable and the 'r' in 'Marie'. British English uses the long 'ɑː' in 'net' and a more clipped 'a' in 'Marie', while American English uses a shorter 'ɛ' in 'net' and often a schwa in the first syllable of 'Marie'.

The last queen consort of France before the French Revolution (1755–1793), executed by guillotine.

Marie antoinette is usually historical, literary, critical (when used figuratively). in register.

Marie antoinette: in British English it is pronounced /ˌmær.i ˌæn.twɑːˈnet/, and in American English it is pronounced /məˌri ˌæn.twəˈnɛt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.