gonflé

Gonflé is a French word that functions as an adjective and as the past participle of the verb gonfler. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: un pneu gonflé, des pneus gonflés; une bouche gonflée; des joues gonflées.

In its most literal sense, gonflé describes something filled with air or gas or something that has swollen. This usage applies to objects such as balloons, tires, or parts of the body after an injury or inflammation. Examples include: un ballon gonflé, les pneus gonflés, les lèvres gonflées.

Gonflé can also describe something that is inflated or exaggerated beyond its natural size or importance. In this figurative sense, one speaks of a “prix gonflé” or d’une histoire gonflée, meaning that the price or the claim is inflated or blown out of proportion. The term is commonly used in everyday French, sometimes with a critical or humorous nuance.

Additionally, gonflé appears in informal speech to characterize a person who is audacious or insolent. In this slang sense, il est gonflé or quelle personne gonflée conveys that someone has nerve or cheek to say or do something. This usage is colloquial and less suited to formal writing.

Etymology: gonflé derives from gonfler, meaning to inflate or swell, and is the past participle used adjectivally. The form changes with gender and number according to the noun it describes.