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

Tarek Debira and Patricia Ageheim, the owners of Le Boudoir, a bar, and Chez Moi, a restaurant nearby, have opened this venue for drinks, done in midcentury-modern style.

From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2020

She also owns a bridal accessories boutique called The Boudoir.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2011

You couldn't fail to smell the potpourri whiff of Milady's Boudoir in The Lady, a 125-year-old weekly.

From The Guardian • Mar. 19, 2010

Mash had derived this preposterous idea of vicarious imprisonment from the story of "The Buttery and the Boudoir," which was now drawing near its conclusion, and gradually killing, or marrying off, its heroes and heroines.

From Round the Block by Bouton, John Bell

Related Words

• bedroom