bourgeois

¹

[ boor-zhwah, boor-zhwah, boo-zhwah; French boor-zhwa ]

adjective

1. having, reflecting, or relating to conventional tastes, opinions, and values believed to be determined mainly by a concern for respectability and material wealth; middle-class:

   He lived a bohemian lifestyle frowned upon by bourgeois morality.

   Bored with bourgeois suburbia and starved for authenticity, these progressive millennials are eager to participate in something challenging and important.

2. belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting of the middle class, especially as viewed in Marxist theory; concerned with ownership of property and maintenance of the status quo, and having or catering to interests opposed to those of the lower or working class:

   Soviet propaganda treated Democrats and Republicans as interchangeable parts of a bourgeois power structure.

noun

, plural bour·geois.

1. a person with conventional or banal tastes and opinions believed to be determined mainly by a concern for respectability and material wealth:

   In this movie he portrays a stuffy bourgeois who plays golf and reads all the right business magazines.

2. a member of the middle class, especially as viewed in Marxist theory.
3. a shopkeeper or merchant.

bourgeois

²

[ ber-jois ]

noun

, Printing.

1. a size of type approximately 9-point, between brevier and long primer.

Bourgeois

³

[ boor-zhwah, boor-zhwah, boo-zhwah; French boor-zhwa ]

noun

1. Lé·on Vic·tor Au·guste [ley-, awn, veek-, tawr, oh-, gyst], 1851–1925, French statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1920.
2. Louise, 1911–2010, U.S. sculptor, born in France.

bourgeois

¹

/ bʊəˈʒwɑː; bʊəˈʒwɑːz; ˈbʊəʒwɑː; ˈbʊəʒwɑːz /

noun

1. a member of the middle class, esp one regarded as being conservative and materialistic or (in Marxist thought) a capitalist exploiting the working class
2. a mediocre, unimaginative, or materialistic person

adjective

1. characteristic of, relating to, or comprising the middle class
2. conservative or materialistic in outlook

   a bourgeois mentality

3. (in Marxist thought) dominated by capitalists or capitalist interests

Bourgeois

²

/ burʒwa /

noun

1. BourgeoisLéon Victor Auguste18511925MFrenchPOLITICS: statesman Léon Victor Auguste . (leɔ̃ viktɔr oɡyst). 1851–1925, French statesman; first chairman of the League of Nations: Nobel peace prize 1920

bourgeois

³

/ bəˈdʒɔɪs /

noun

1. (formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 9 point

Derived Forms

• bourgeoise, noun:feminine

Word History and Origins

Origin of bourgeois¹

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French; Old French borgeis burgess

Origin of bourgeois²

First recorded in 1815–25; perhaps from a printer so named

Word History and Origins

Origin of bourgeois¹

C16: from Old French borjois , burgeis burgher, citizen, from bourg town; see burgess

Origin of bourgeois²

C19: perhaps from its size, midway between long primer and brevier

Example Sentences

Miller’s glorious Lina, a woman who rejects bourgeois propriety as beneath her, is one of Shaw’s great comic creations.

From Los Angeles Times

Playwrights who rebuked bourgeois safety when they were alive deserve better than to be given the masterpiece mausoleum treatment.

From Los Angeles Times

Her life has texture and perhaps meaning, even if it’s a haut bourgeois bubble.

From New York Times

It was included in MoMA’s seminal 1972 show “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape,” which presented furnishings that looked beyond aesthetics and function toward sociocultural shifts, including the rejection of bourgeois propriety.

From New York Times

Pierre-Auguste Renoir is here, too, with his bourgeois couple in sumptuous evening finery taking in an evening of theater from their box high above the stage.

From New York Times

Related Words

• materialistic
• middle-class