Word: bonhomie (noun)

Associations

"Bonhomie" means a friendly and cheerful mood or atmosphere. It describes a kind, warm, and easygoing way people behave or feel around each other.

• At a family gathering, the bonhomie makes everyone feel relaxed and happy.
• The boss's bonhomie helped the team work better together.
• The café was full of bonhomie, with people chatting and laughing. A synonym is "friendliness," but bonhomie often suggests a natural, easy, and cheerful friendliness, not just polite or formal friendliness.

Substitution

You can use words like:

• friendliness – more general and can be polite or formal.
• geniality – means warm and cheerful but a bit more formal.
• cheerfulness – focuses on being happy and positive. Using "bonhomie" often adds a sense of natural, easy warmth.

Deconstruction

"Bonhomie" comes from French:

• "bon" means "good"
• "homme" means "man" Together, it originally meant "good man" or "good-natured man," which evolved to mean good-natured friendliness or cheerfulness.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you felt bonhomie with your friends or family?
• How does bonhomie make a group or place feel different from just being polite?
• What kind of situations or people bring out bonhomie in you?