Word.ws English Dictionary

let them eat cake

/lɛt ˌðɛm iːt keɪ̯k/US/lɛt ˌðɛm it keɪ̯k/

let them eat cake phrase: used to express a profound disconnect between the elite and the unprivileged or underprivileged, suggesting a callous indifference or detachment to their suffering.

Phrase

let them eat cake

  1. (idiomatic) Used to express a profound disconnect between the elite and the unprivileged or underprivileged, suggesting a callous indifference or detachment to their suffering.

Origin of let them eat cake

Calque of French qu'ils mangent de la brioche. Incorrectly attributed to the last Queen of France prior to the French Revolution Marie Antoinette (1755–1793), the phrase actually originates from Confessions (Rousseau).

Questions about let them eat cake

What does let them eat cake mean?
Let them eat cake means used to express a profound disconnect between the elite and the unprivileged or underprivileged, suggesting a callous indifference or detachment to their suffering.
What part of speech is let them eat cake?
Let them eat cake is a phrase.
How do you pronounce let them eat cake?
Let them eat cake is pronounced /lɛt ˌðɛm iːt keɪ̯k/ (UK).

Words near let them eat cake in the dictionary

  1. let the grass grow round one's feet
  2. let the grass grow under one's feet
  3. let the matter drop
  4. let the perfect be the enemy of the good
  5. let the sleeping dogs lie
  6. let them eat cake
  7. let there be light
  8. let things alone
  9. let things be
  10. let this cup pass from me
  11. let through

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: let them eat cake (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-let them eat cake.wav.

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