boudoir

American  

[boo-dwahr, -dwawr] / ˈbu dwɑr, -dwɔr /

noun

1. a woman's bedroom or private sitting room.

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boudoir British  

/ -dwɔː, ˈbuːdwɑː /

noun

1. a woman's bedroom or private sitting room

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Etymology

Origin of boudoir

1775–85; < French: literally, a sulking place ( boud ( er ) to sulk + -oir -ory ² )

Explanation

Boudoir is a slightly old-fashioned word for a bedroom. You could invite a friend for a sleepover and say, "You can sleep on the spare bed in my boudoir." These days, the word boudoir is mainly used for its humorous effect. You may also come across it in an old book or movie, almost always referring to a woman's private bedroom. A boudoir is comfortable and luxurious, and the word itself was popular among the upper class in the 18th century, from the French and meaning "pouting room," from bouder, "to pout" or "to sulk."

Example Sentences

In his Jeeves stories, Bertie Wooster is briefly employed by a magazine called Milady's Boudoir, which was housed "in one of those rummy streets in the Covent Garden neighbourhood".

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2025

She joined the Association of International Boudoir Photographers where she met Jamie Pfister, who owns The Adore Girls studio in Nashville, where Bell now works.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2017

Last year, Courtney Love was sued for libel by the fashion designer Boudoir Queen for supposedly slanderous comments posted on Twitter, on Love’s MySpace page and on the designer’s online marketplace-feedback page.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2010

Photograph: Geraint Lewis / Rex Features PG Wodehouse got a lot of fun out of a fictional magazine called Milady's Boudoir, which continually teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.

From The Guardian • Mar. 19, 2010

Letting Milady's Boudoir join Civilisation in the melting-pot.

From Right Ho, Jeeves by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)

Related Words

• bedroom