A man of questionable reputation or uncertain social standing; the male equivalent of a demimondaine in the demiworld.
From French demi- (half) and mondain (worldly), referring to someone who moves in half-respectable social circles in the 19th-20th centuries.
The demimonde was basically 19th-century society's way of describing the 'shady but tolerated' social class—artists, courtesans, gamblers, and people who didn't fit normal society but were too interesting to completely exclude.
French term for a man in the demi-monde (half-world of courtesans and social outsiders). The parallel 'demimondaine' (feminine) specifically designated women of loose morality, while the masculine form carried less stigma, reflecting how sexual transgression was gendered as a female domain.
Use 'demimonde' (genderless) to reference the historical social stratum without reinforcing gendered moral judgment.
["demimonde","social outsider","marginal figure"]
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.