What does léger in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word léger in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use léger in French.

The word léger in French means light, slight, superficial, lightweight, flighty, fickle, light, minor, unimportant, be light-hearted, be a light sleeper, walking wounded, cavalryman, horseman, thin client, light cruiser, almost live pre-recording, as though a weight has been lifted, like a weight has been lifted, light as air, as light as air, light as a feather, slight improvement, lightweight, lightweight, light meal, feel light, super lightweight, light welterweight, light vehicle, light wind, gentle wind. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word léger

light

adjectif (pas lourd) (not heavy)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Cette valise est plus légère que je ne le pensais.
This suitcase is lighter than I thought.

slight

adjectif (peu important)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Le potimarron a un léger goût de châtaigne.
This red kuri squash has a slight taste of chestnuts.

superficial, lightweight

adjectif (peu consistant) (figurative)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
La rédaction de cet élève est plutôt légère !
This student's writing is rather superficial!

flighty, fickle

adjectif (volage)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Méfie-toi, c'est une femme légère !
Be careful, she's a flighty woman!

light

adjectif (serein) (figurative)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
C'est le cœur léger qu'il partait au combat.
He left for the battle with a light heart.

minor, unimportant

adjectif (peu sérieux, peu important)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Cette rubrique ne traite que des sujets légers.
This section only deals with unimportant topics.

be light-hearted

locution verbale (se sentir bien, être serein)

be a light sleeper

locution verbale (se réveiller facilement)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

walking wounded

([qqn] ayant de faibles blessures) (informal)

(plural noun: Noun always used in plural form--for example, "jeans," "scissors.")
Dans ce terrible accident, il n'y a heureusement que deux blessés légers.

cavalryman, horseman

nom masculin (soldat d'un corps de cavalerie) (military)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Au XVIème siècle les chevau-légers étaient les soldats d'un corps de cavalerie légère.

thin client

nom masculin (ordinateur à applications distantes) (Computing)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

light cruiser

nom masculin (type de navire de guerre) (warship)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le croiseur léger désigne la deuxième génération de croiseur, inférieure en termes de taille et d'armement.

almost live pre-recording

locution adjectivale (avec un peu de retard)

L'émission sera diffusée en léger différé.

as though a weight has been lifted, like a weight has been lifted

locution adjectivale (figuré (soulagé)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Quand Emma a appris que sa tumeur était bénigne, elle se sentit légère comme l'air.

light as air, as light as air

locution adjectivale (pas lourd du tout)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

light as a feather

locution adjectivale (très léger)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

slight improvement

nom masculin (sensible amélioration)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Pierre a été opéré ce matin et le docteur remarque déjà un léger mieux.

lightweight

nom masculin (sport : catégorie entre 57 et 60 kg) (boxing)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

lightweight

nom masculin et féminin (boxeur entre 57 et 60 kg) (boxer)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

light meal

nom masculin (repas frugal)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

feel light

(figuré (être à l'aise)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

super lightweight, light welterweight

adjectif (familier (catégorie de boxe) (boxing)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Julien participe à ce championnat de boxe dans la catégorie superléger.

light vehicle

nom masculin (véhicule non utilitaire)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les camions ne font pas partie des véhicules légers.

light wind, gentle wind

nom masculin (vent peu perceptible)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of léger in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.