pleurnicheur
/plœʁ.ni.ʃœʁ/
The English phrase "cry baby" is translated into French as pleurnicheur.
pleurnicheur refers to a person who complains too much or cries easily over small problems.
What does it mean word for word?
The noun pleurnicheur is derived from the verb pleurnicher, which means to whimper or snivel.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of pleurnicheur is pleurnicheuse.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /plœʁ.ni.ʃœʁ/. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The suffix -icheur in pleurnicheur is often used in French to create verbs and nouns that describe a repetitive, annoying, or trivial action.
- Using pleurnicheur to a boss or teacher is a significant social error. Unlike English, where 'cry baby' might be seen as mild teasing, in a French professional setting, it is a direct insult to their maturity.
- In French, the act of whimpering expressed by pleurnicher is conceptually distinct from pleurer, as the former implies a lack of dignity or a manipulation of others.
Examples in context
- Tom est un pleurnicheur.Tom is such a cry baby.This sentence is useful for showing how to use pleurnicheur to describe a person.Tatoeba #14021234 by Myrano_, translation #8367186 by CK
- Le petit garçon est un vrai pleurnichard.The little boy is a real cry baby.
- Arrête de pleurer, espèce de chialeur !Stop crying, you cry baby!
- Elle est vraiment une grande pleureuse.She is such a cry baby.
- Ma petite sœur pleure pour tout et n'importe quoi. C'est vraiment une pleurnicharde.My little sister cries for everything and anything. She's such a cry baby.
- Tu es vraiment un chialeur, tu as pleuré pour une simple égratignure !You're such a cry baby, you cried over a minor scratch!
- Ce film est pour les pleurnicheurs.This movie is for cry babies.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are talking about a coworker's reaction to a small mistake.
- GabrielIl a encore râlé pour rien.He complained again for nothing.
- ChloéQuel grand pleurnicheur, ce garçon !What a huge cry baby, that boy!
- GabrielIl est vraiment difficile à gérer.He is really difficult to manage.
- ChloéJe suis d'accord avec toi.I agree with you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pleurnicheur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
