bougie

¹

or bou·jee

[ boo-zhee, ‐jee ]

adjective

, Slang.

1. Sometimes Disparaging. relating to or characteristic of a person who indulges in some of the luxuries and comforts of a fancy lifestyle:

   He spends too much on bougie stuff he can’t afford.

2. Also bour·gie []. Often Disparaging and Offensive. relating to or characteristic of a person who aspires to the upper middle class, especially when regarded as being elitist or snobbish:

   The bougie folks all left the old neighborhood and bought houses out there where their kids'll go to “good schools,” whatever that means.

3. relating to or characteristic of a person who flaunts newly acquired wealth without necessarily embracing the cultural values and pretensions of the upper middle class:

   that bougie feeling when you’re drinking high-end champagne—out of a red plastic cup.

bougie

²

[ boo-jee, -zhee, boo-zhee ]

noun

1. Medicine/Medical.
   1. a slender, flexible instrument introduced into passages of the body, especially the urethra, for dilating, examining, medicating, etc.
   2. a suppository.
2. a wax candle.

bougie

/ ˈbuːʒiː; buːˈʒiː /

noun

1. med a long slender semiflexible cylindrical instrument for inserting into body passages, such as the rectum or urethra, to dilate structures, introduce medication, etc

Sensitive Note

Bougie is often used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting, depending on the cultural or social context of its use. It originated as slang in the African American community, used disparagingly to describe wealthier or upwardly mobile people, usually other Black people, who were seen to be socially pretentious. It is now also used as a term of mild censure, referring in general to people who have expensive tastes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bougie¹

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; shortening and alteration of bourgeois ¹( def )

Origin of bougie²

First recorded in 1745–55; from French, after Bougie (from Arabic Bujāyah ), town in Algeria, center of the wax trade

Word History and Origins

Origin of bougie¹

C18: from French, originally a wax candle from Bougie (Bujiya), Algeria

Example Sentences

“I’ve always been a foodie, I just always been bougie, I’ve always been opinionated. And I’m always gonna talk my s–,” says White.

From Los Angeles Times

When seeing a play in downtown, Angelica Reyes, a teacher at Santee High School, admitted she was expecting a more “white and bougie” looking space — instead, she said, “It looks like brown people actually created this.”

From Los Angeles Times

“When people find out what I do, they think I work with bougie people all day,” registered nurse injector Lindsey Kincaid of New Leaf Restorative Medicine—located not in a “festooned marble apartment building” along a “leafy stretch of Park Avenue,” but in a nondescript brick medical building a half mile from my go-to grocery store where I live in Asheville, North Carolina—told me, “but it’s everyday people and everyday guys coming in to get freshened up.”

From Slate

On Sundays, we like to take my son to the Polo Lounge because he’s bougie.

From Los Angeles Times

I know some people say it’s this bougie grocery spot, but I’ve actually been going there for years before it was even popular.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chic
• classy
• deluxe
• elegant
• exclusive
• fashionable
• grand
• high-class
• luxury
• opulent
• ritzy
• swank
• swanky
• trendy

How Do You Spell Bougie?

Spelling tips for bougie

The slang term bougie comes from a shortening and alteration of the word bourgeois, which is even harder to remember how to spell. 

How to spell bougie: Bougie is also sometimes spelled boujee, boujie, and boojie, but bougie is the most common spelling. Boogie is a different word altogether. To remember the vowel sequences in bougie (o-u, i-e), just remember this question: “Oh, you think I’m bougie, i.e. too fancy?”