Meaning of belles-lettres | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The humanities.
   obsolete, uncountable
2. Literature, particularly light compositions valued for their aesthetic properties.
   archaic, uncountable
3. Literary studies, particularly literary aesthetics.
   archaic, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“That vapid, half naturalized term ‘belles-lettres,’ which has had some currency as a substitute for the term ‘literature.’”

CEFR level