canaille

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He knew nothing of that silent middle class that struggled between genteel poverty and the impossible desire of emulating the golden canaille to which he himself belonged.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

I would not trust them further than the canaille itself; they are a white-livered lot in spite of their gaudy uniforms.

From Robert Tournay A Romance of the French Revolution by Sage, William

By that time I began to perceive which way the wind was blowing: the canaille had unceremoniously linked their arms in those of the National Guards, and insisted, courteously but firmly, on carrying their firearms.

From An Englishman in Paris Notes and Recollections by Albert D.

Equally canaille, the preliminary occupations of these grisettes differed only in taste.

From Historia Amoris: A History of Love, Ancient and Modern by Saltus, Edgar

Mon cher,' said the other, 'you and I were once gentlemen—we talked, ate, drank, and dressed as such; we have now the canaille life, and the past is scarcely even a dream.'

From Gerald Fitzgerald The Chevalier by Lever, Charles James