homme fatal

English

Etymology

From French homme fatal (literally “fatal man”), after femme fatale.

Noun

homme fatal (plural hommes fatals)

1. An ultimately seductive and dangerous man; a womanizer.

   Antonym: ingenu

   • 1990, Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae:

     However, the danger of the homme fatal, as embodied in today's boyish male hustler, is that he will leave, disappearing to other loves, other lands.

   • 2015, Samantha Lindop, Postfeminism and the Fatale Figure in Neo-Noir Cinema:

     Though mysterious, treacherous men are common characters in most Gothic works, some of the closest archetypes to the homme fatal can be found in the novels of Ann Radcliffe.