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• Bohemian
  Bohemian

  noun

  a native or inhabitant of Bohemia.
• bohemian
  bohemian

  A descriptive term for a stereotypical way of life for artists and intellectuals. According to the stereotype (see also stereotype), bohemians live in material poverty because they prefer their art or their learning to lesser goods; they are also unconventional in habits and dress, and sometimes in morals.

Bohemian

American  

[boh-hee-mee-uhn] / boʊˈhi mi ən /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Bohemia.

2. Usually bohemian a person, as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules and practices.

3. the Czech language, especially as spoken in Bohemia.

4. a Romani.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Bohemia, its people, or their language.

2. Usually bohemian pertaining to or characteristic of the unconventional life of a bohemian.

3. living a wandering or vagabond life.

Bohemian British  

/ bəʊˈhiːmɪən /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Bohemia, esp of the old kingdom of Bohemia; a Czech

2. (often not capital) a person, esp an artist or writer, who lives an unconventional life

3. the Czech language

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Bohemia, its people, or their language

2. unconventional in appearance, behaviour, etc

bohemian Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for a stereotypical way of life for artists and intellectuals. According to the stereotype (see also stereotype), bohemians live in material poverty because they prefer their art or their learning to lesser goods; they are also unconventional in habits and dress, and sometimes in morals.

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Other Word Forms

• Bohemianism
  noun
• anti-Bohemian
  adjective
• pro-Bohemian
  adjective
• pseudo-Bohemian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Bohemian

First recorded in 1570–80; Bohemi(a) + -an

Explanation

An artist who's famous for always being barefoot, or a musician who shares an apartment with her band members and four cats might be described as bohemian — that is, living an unconventional, artistic lifestyle. In the 19th century, Roma people living in France were referred to as Bohémiens because of a mistaken belief that they came from the middle-European region then known as Bohemia. Over time, the name became attached to artists, writers, and musicians who refused to conform to mainstream society and shared an outsider status and spirit. Today, bohemian still describes someone who lives this way, but it's also a fashion style — such as pairing clogs with a floaty peasant dress.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Bohemian bohemian

Cornelia, writing to her mother, “tried to explain what Bohemian meant, and what Bohemia was.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

The figures’ long, elegant fingers are a distinctive feature of Bohemian Gothic art, as are the tight blond curls framing the round faces of Mary, Jesus and the angel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

It went on to become a Top 10 hit, with promotional copies of the single describing it as "dance music's Bohemian Rhapsody".

From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025

First published in 1998, this early gem from Nobel Prize winner Tokarczuk takes place in Silesia, a region of Poland close to the Czech Republic and influenced by its Bohemian culture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025

It was a nice color coordination the way the Bohemian Madonna’s skin was set off by the golds in the honey.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Alternating with these vignettes are lengthy excerpts from M’s bohemian heyday of 2023—three journals and a short screenplay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

She recalls how for years she had lived in “that thin upper surface of comfort and joy and freedom” that the bohemian life made possible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

There, she’d begun to plant her roots in an artistic community, spending most of the last year and some change nestled in with her new flock of bohemian neighbors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Low said: "Jean Bouquin's designs were extremely popular among the Saint-Tropez jet set in the 1960s – closely associated with Bardot's bohemian look and 'hippie chic'."

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

A funky-cool place that’s run by a bohemian grandma named Greta.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Related Words

• free spirit
• hippie
• nonconformist