fauteur de troubles
/fo.tœʁ də tʁubl/
The English phrase "troublemaker" can be translated into French as fauteur de troubles. If unsure, use fauteur de troubles. Wiktionary also lists perturbateur and trublion.
Meaning: one who causes trouble, especially deliberately (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| fauteur de troubles | /fo.tœʁ də tʁubl/ |
| perturbateur | /pɛʁ.tyʁ.ba.tœʁ/ |
| trublion | /tʁy.bli.jɔ̃/ |
The term refers to one who causes trouble, especially deliberately.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase fauteur de troubles is composed of fauteur (maker/doer) and de troubles (of troubles).
Which one should you use?
While fauteur de troubles is a general term, perturbateur is often used in more technical, social or systemic contexts to describe someone who disrupts a process or an order. You might also use trublion or the gender-specific forms un chercheur d'ennuis for a male troublemaker and une chercheuse d'ennuis for a female troublemaker.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make fauteur de troubles plural, you add an 's' to fauteur but keep troubles in its plural form, resulting in fauteurs de troubles.
How do you pronounce it?
/fo.tœʁ də tʁubl/
Did you know?
- The word trublion was coined in the late 19th century by the writer Anatole France. He based it on the Greek word for 'bowl' as a joke about a royal prince nicknamed 'Prince Bowl'.
- The term perturbateur is frequently used in French to describe a 'disruptor' in a business or technical sense, rather than just a naughty person.
- The word trouble in French is a cognate of 'trouble' in English, but it can also refer to a physical disturbance or a medical disorder.
Examples in context
- C'est un fauteur de troubles.He's a troublemaker.Tatoeba #11231600 by lbdx, translation #10112483 by ddnktr
- Marie a toujours été une source de perturbations à l'école.Marie has always been a troublemaker at school.
- Attention à lui, il cherche toujours des ennuis.Be careful with him, he always looks for trouble.
- Je ne veux pas travailler avec lui, c'est un instigateur de conflits.I don't want to work with him, he is a conflict instigator.
- Le petit garçon est un fauteur de troubles.The little boy is a troublemaker.
- Ne sois pas un fauteur de troubles en classe.Don't be a troublemaker in class.
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are discussing a difficult colleague.
- ChloéHugo, qu'est-ce que tu penses de notre nouveau collègue ?Hugo, what do you think of our new colleague?
- HugoJe pense que c'est un vrai fauteur de troubles.I think he is a real troublemaker.
- ChloéJe suis d'accord, il crée des problèmes partout.I agree, he creates problems everywhere.
- HugoC'est épuisant pour toute l'équipe.It is exhausting for the whole team.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “troublemaker” translations and entries fauteur de troubles, perturbateur, trublion, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, fauteur, perturbateur, trublion, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
