Published January 27, 2025 • Updated September 14, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Bordel meaning
Bordel is a very informal French noun meaning “mess,” “chaos,” or “disorder.” It originally means “brothel,” but in everyday speech it is much more commonly used to describe a messy situation or place. It can also appear in vulgar expressions such as Quel bordel ! (“What a mess!”) or Bordel de merde ! to express anger or frustration.
Bordel pronunciation
The IPA pronunciation of bordel is /bɔʁ.dɛl/, which sounds approximately like “bor-DEL.”
Bordel example sentences
Oh là là, quel bordel ! Si tu ne ranges pas tes jouets maman sera très fâchée !
Yikes! What a mess! If you don’t pick up your toys mom will be very mad!
Bordel de merde ! J’en ai marre de tes conneries !
Sh*t! I’m sick of your stupidity!
Il y a quatre-vingts ans, c’était un bordel.
Eighty years ago it was a brothel.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- foutre le bordel (to make a mess, slang)
- le désordre — mess, disorder
- le bazar — mess, chaos
- le foutoir — complete mess
- la pagaille — chaos, disorder
- bordélique — messy, chaotic
- mettre le bordel — to make a mess, cause chaos
- quel bordel ! — what a mess!
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