A very common French word which isn't as vulgar as you might assume.

Why do I need to know chiant?

Chiant or the feminine versions chiante is used a lot by the French but despite its origins it's not as
impolite as you might think.

So, what does it mean?

Chiant/e is the adjective derived from the verb chier which is a vulgar way to say 'to crap' or 'to shit'.

But despite this chiant/e isn't quite as offensive or distasteful as you might think.

It is frequently used in conversation to describe something as 'really irritating', 'really annoying',

'really boring' or in more extreme slang 'a pain in the ass'.

For example you could say, Ce film est super chiant, ne va pas le voir. - 'This film is super annoying,
don't go and see it.'

Or in its feminine form: J'en ai marre de ma petite sœur : elle est chiante! - 'I'm sick of my little
sister : she's really irritating!'

Alternatives

If you'd like to convey a similar meaning to chiant using a different word, you could go for
assommant which means 'boring', 'tedious' or 'stupefyingly dull'.

Or alternatively you could use emmerdant which means 'annoying', 'irritating' or 'aggravating'.