bon-mots
Sparkling verbal gems
Bon-mots is the plural of bon mot, a French borrowing meaning a clever or witty remark.
The term suggests verbal elegance—not just any joke, but a well-crafted quip: Oscar Wilde was famous for his bon-mots.
The singular appears more often; the plural implies a collection of such remarks or someone known for producing them regularly.
Clever, amusing remark
- epigramPithy, memorable saying
- quipBrief, clever remark
- reparteeQuick, clever conversation
- riposteSwift clever reply
zinger · one-liner · wisecrack · comeback · retort · jest · sally · pleasantry
Terse general truth
- maximBrief moral principle
- adageTraditional pithy truth
- proverbTraditional saying expressing truth
- dictumAuthoritative formal statement
axiom · truism · pithy statement · well-turned phrase · rhetorical flourish
witticism
Clever, amusing remark
riposte · zinger · one-liner · wisecrack · comeback · retort · jest · sally · pleasantry · aperçu
aphorism
Terse general truth
dictum · axiom · truism · pithy statement · well-turned phrase · rhetorical flourish
bon-motsplatitudes
Trite moral remarks
clichés · banalities · bromides · inanities · drivel
bon-motsrambling
Long-winded and unfocused
verbiage · wordiness · prolixity · digressions · circumlocutions
bon-mot, good, bonny, bonnie, bonus, boon, bounty, bountiful, bonhomie