Bolshie
noun
Bolshie
American
[bohl-shee, bol-]
/ ˈboʊl ʃi, ˈbɒl- /
bolshie
British
/ ˈbɒlʃɪ /
adjective
-
difficult to manage; rebellious
-
politically radical or left-wing
noun
Etymology
Origin of Bolshie
First recorded in 1915–20; Bolsh(evik) + -ie
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The blast occurred about 9 p.m. local time near the village of Bolshie Vyazyomy, southwest of Moscow, the committee said.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 21, 2022
"Here, take a snapshot of a young Bolshie," cried Chargé d'Affaires Rosengolz amiably, and pushed his infant son before a photographer's camera.
From Time Magazine Archive
"I can be bolshie if I'm fighting for a cause or for someone else, but deep down I'm very sensitive."
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026
It was a little bit bolshie of me, but I knew what the girls were getting.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2016
Because if they want more labour, or if their current workforce gets a bit bolshie and starts demanding more of the profits, then they can just go and hire some of those unemployed.
From Forbes ● Mar. 7, 2015
Her new collection, “Honeydew”, may be more muted in tone, but it retains the 78-year-old author’s ferociously individual style, characterised by prose that is bolshie yet nuanced, elegant but not fussy, stylish without being vain.
From Economist ● Feb. 5, 2015
In the Australian city of Geelong, a bolshie actor called Scott Price is questioning his co-star's mental capacity.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 8, 2014
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
