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

As framed by beautiful, evocative pairings that punctuate the show’s final galleries, the conversation continued, with some of Manet’s later boudoir interiors and portraits of fashionable Parisiennes unthinkable without Morisot’s example.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 25, 2025

You have to wonder whether Tedros’ barbarism will make it hard to take the Weeknd seriously when he returns with his next batch of haunted boudoir jams.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2023

Kirsty Corbett, co-owner of Be Bold Be You boudoir photography studio, said several of her clients have had images removed from social media for breaching standards.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2021

The boudoir here has no four-poster bed or even a headboard, just a single mattress on a box spring with an unstable pile of books nearby.

From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2020

“I remained in the balcony. ‘They will come to her boudoir, no doubt,’ thought I: ‘let me prepare an ambush.’

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• bedroom