contretemps

/ˈkɒn.tɹə.tɑ̃ŋ/

contretemps means an unforeseen, inopportune, or embarrassing event.

contretemps is pronounced /ˈkɒn.tɹə.tɑ̃ŋ/.

Why “contretemps” is a great word

An unforeseen and often embarrassing or inconvenient occurrence. From French contre-temps, literally 'against time', from contre- (against) + temps (time, from Latin tempus), first attested in English in the 1680s as a fencing term for an ill-timed pass. Unlike a "mishap," which suggests a simple accident of chance, or a "faux pas," which specifies a breach of etiquette, a contretemps is the broader comedy of poor timing itself. It is the waiter arriving with the bill just as you declare your love, the sudden downpour that ruins a perfectly staged exit, or the perfectly audible comment made in a lull you had not perceived—a small, discordant puncture in the smooth fabric of an occasion, leaving one exposed and foolish.

noun

An unforeseen, inopportune, or embarrassing event.
An ill-timed pass.

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

misadventure 85% match — An accidental mishap or misfortune. vs contretemps →
mischance 85% match — Bad luck, misfortune. vs contretemps →
rencontre 85% match — A chance or unexpected meeting or encounter. vs contretemps →
gaffe 84% match — A foolish and embarrassing error, especially one made in public; a social blunder; a breach of etiquette. vs contretemps →
discomfiture 83% match — Defeat in battle. vs contretemps →
debacle 83% match — An event or enterprise that ends suddenly and disastrously, often with humiliating consequences. vs contretemps →
imbroglio 83% match — A complicated situation; an entanglement. vs contretemps →
rencounter 83% match — To meet, encounter, come into contact with. vs contretemps →