boudoir
Americannoun
noun
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."
Vocabulary lists containing boudoir
English Words Derived from French, List 4
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The Haunting of Hill House
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The Poisonwood Bible
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Playing divorced designer Elizabeth James, Richardson has an on-screen boudoir that is a sanctuary for the working creative mother: charcoal sketches; wire-framed reading glasses; ’90s white cordless landline; creamy thank-you roses on the nightstand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Grammy-winning singers Chappell Roan and Lola Young attended Vivienne Westwood's show and were clearly inspired by the late designer's deconstructed boudoir look.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
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
Instead of Albee’s Park Avenue-ish boudoir, Stephens locates three generations of the McBride family in a rent-controlled walk-up in Greenwich Village.
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2021
Sourmelina, legs bandaged, lay back in her boudoir as Desdemona performed the first of the many prognostications that would end with me.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
