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

This book is nearly encyclopedic in its accounting of the pleasures of modern bourgeois American life.

From Vox

Bourgeois said that the actions taken to limit the reach of the term “Stop the Steal” in the election’s immediate aftermath were temporary.

From Washington Post

Renoir, Matisse, Picasso and Cézanne were considered formalistic and bourgeois artists.

From Washington Post

At the same time, he was drawn to the work of future Nobel laureate André Gide, who rebelled against bourgeois conventions and wrote of sensual fulfillment.

From Washington Post

Gurugram, a bustling tech and finance center on the outskirts of New Delhi, encapsulates the fast-paced capitalism and bourgeois aspirations of a new town.

From Quartz

Part of that bourgeois dream involved white people getting to live out their fantasies of having black servants.

From The Daily Beast

Many historians have leveled criticism at the Code, arguing that it was too conservative and supportive of the bourgeois.

From The Daily Beast

Diaspora always meant tragedy; you think you can be a good German bourgeois, but that way lie the death camps.

From The Daily Beast

I confess to being surprised at the reaction to yesterday's article on the boring, bourgeois future of gay marriage.

From The Daily Beast

That's right, I said it: this is a landmark victory for the forces of staid, bourgeois sexual morality.

From The Daily Beast

Despite his own grief, he is sorry for the young man; nor is he convinced in his shrewd bourgeois mind of the latter's guilt.

From Project Gutenberg

You will see a family of rich bourgeois enter, just in from the country, for the Montparnasse station is opposite.

From Project Gutenberg

To his bourgeois mind, for all his imitation of the Chicago martyr, my words must have sounded knavish.

From Project Gutenberg

It outrages me that even a bourgeois should so meanly misjudge the aspirations of an active revolutionist.

From Project Gutenberg

He was somewhat inclined to sybaritism; not quite emancipated from the tendencies of his bourgeois youth.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• materialistic
• middle-class