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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

What you’ll need to imagine is the Bohemian Grove, which hides in the nearby forest, serving as a haven for the rich, powerful, famous and all-male members of the Bohemian Club since the 19th century.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The Bohemian second son has so far refused to settle down, but this all changes when he meets a masked lady in silver at a masquerade ball.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026

On the far side of the Iron Curtain, these glorious paintings, like other treasures of Bohemian art, were little known to Western art historians.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 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

Moving with his wife and favorite model, Louise, to Manhattan’s bohemian East Village in 1948, Baer trained his eye on bustling street scenes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Finally, in 1855, he moved to Europe and became part of an exhilarating bohemian culture in Paris and vanguard art world in London.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 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

Born into a bohemian family of artists in Normandy in 1948, she began her career as a dancer before turning to acting.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

The role has some intriguing elements—Maddy is kind of hippie-chick bohemian set against her sister’s two-doctor bourgeois household—but as written, it is the weakest in the play.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• free spirit
• hippie
• nonconformist