bien mal acquis ne profite jamais
French, proverb/bjɛ̃ ma.l‿a.ki nə pʁɔ.fit ʒa.mɛ/
bien mal acquis ne profite jamais is a French proverb meaning “ill-gotten gains never prosper” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
What does bien mal acquis ne profite jamais mean in English?
proverb
- 1
ill-gotten gains never prosper
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
phrase: 1. Un bien mal acquis ne profite pas à celui qui le possède.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of bien mal acquis ne profite jamais
- biens mal acquis ne profitent jamais alternative rare
- bien mal acquis ne prospère jamais
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce bien mal acquis ne profite jamais?
- /bjɛ̃ ma.l‿a.ki nə pʁɔ.fit ʒa.mɛ/
- \bjɛ̃ ma.l‿a.ki nə pʁɔ.fit ʒa.mɛ\
- [bjɛ̃ ma.l̪‿a.ki n̪ə pʁ̥o.fit̪ ʒa.me]
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.