Dictionary

au courant en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /əʊ kʊˈɹɒn(t)/ (UK)
• /ˌoʊ kʊˈɹɑnt/ (US)

Etymology

Borrowed from French au courant (literally “to the current”).

Meanings

1. Up to date; informed about the latest developments; abreast.
   • A paragon from the Global South, as no one I know who lives there calls it, would be very 21st century, very au courant. 2023 February 11, Janan Ganesh, “After Germany’s fall, which is the paragon nation?”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 22:
   • Doctor Portman and Smirke were both cautious of informing the widow of the constant outbreak of calumny which was pursuing poor Pen, though Glanders, who was a friend of the house, kept him au courant. 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis. […], volume I, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849, →OCLC, page 135:
   • Its hipness recalls the films of Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax, making for an intoxicating blend of the retro and au courant. 2018 May 2, Catherine Taylor, “Vernon Subutex 1 by Virginie Despentes review – foul-mouthed satire of modern France”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • “Know Your Enemy,” an au courant lefty podcast, has devoted multiple episodes to discussions of Freud, who has become a frequent topic of conversation among the show’s hosts. 2023 March 22, Joseph Bernstein, “Not Your Daddy’s Freud”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • As Hemingway once noted, Paris is an old city—and so even a 1946 film looks au courant: part of the aesthetic air. 2013 October 23, Meghan O’Rourke, “Watching American Movies in Paris”, in The Atlantic:

Forms

Synonyms

au parfum