meilleur
/mɛ.jœʁ/
The English word 'better' is translated into French as meilleur.
meilleur is the comparative form of the adjective 'good'. You can use Meilleur(e) que to express that something is 'better than' another thing.
Meaning: comparative of the adjectives good or well (adj)
Which one should you use?
Use meilleur when comparing nouns, such as 'a better car'. In contrast, use mieux when comparing verbs or describing how an action is performed, such as 'he sings better'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective meilleur must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use meilleure for the feminine singular, meilleurs for the masculine plural and meilleures for the feminine plural.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying plus bon when you mean 'better' in an adjective context. Instead, use meilleur.
Did you know?
- The word meilleur descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *mel- which meant 'strong' or 'big' rather than 'good'.
- When someone says Tant mieux, they are using a form of 'better' to mean 'even better' or 'thank goodness'.
- In some French idioms, describing a situation as pour le meilleur et pour le pire (for the better and for the worse) is a fixed expression used to describe destiny or fate.
Examples in context
- Le tien est meilleur.Yours is better.This sentence shows how to use meilleur to say something is better.Tatoeba #4548343 by sacredceltic, translation #3826227 by CK
- Quel est le meilleur ?Which is better?This sentence demonstrates a question using meilleur.Tatoeba #7581925 by Micsmithel, translation #2254696 by CK
- Tom a un meilleur plan.Tom has better plan.This sentence uses meilleur to describe a better plan.Tatoeba #5106967 by sicerabibax, translation #5105760 by CK
- Votre travail est meilleur que le mienYour work is better than mine
- J'ai réalisé une version améliorée de ce logicielI have created an improved version of this software
- Ce nouvel appareil est plus performant que l'ancienThis new device is more efficient than the old one
- C'est mieux comme çaIt's better that way
- Ce restaurant est meilleur que celui d'hierThis restaurant is better than yesterday's
- 465 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are comparing two cakes.
- ManonGoûte ce gâteau, Hugo !Taste this cake, Hugo!
- HugoIl est bon, mais l'autre est meilleur.It is good, but the other one is better.
- ManonTu préfères le chocolat ?Do you prefer the chocolate one?
- HugoOui, c'est le meilleur choix.Yes, it is the better choice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “better” translations and entries meilleur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries meilleur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
