bougie
1 Americanadjective
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Sometimes Disparaging. relating to or characteristic of a person who indulges in some of the luxuries and comforts of a fancy lifestyle.
He spends too much on bougie stuff he canât afford.
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Often Disparaging and Offensive. Also bourgie relating to or characteristic of a person who aspires to the upper middle class, especially when regarded as being elitist or snobbish.
The bougie folks all left the old neighborhood and bought houses out there where their kids'll go to âgood schools,â whatever that means.
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relating to or characteristic of a person who flaunts newly acquired wealth without necessarily embracing the cultural values and pretensions of the upper middle class.
that bougie feeling when youâre drinking high-end champagneâout of a red plastic cup.
noun
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bougies
plural
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Medicine/Medical.
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a slender, flexible instrument introduced into passages of the body, especially the urethra, for dilating, examining, medicating, etc.
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a suppository.
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a wax candle.
noun
Sensitive Note
Bougie is often used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting, depending on the cultural or social context of its use. It originated as slang in the African American community, used disparagingly to describe wealthier or upwardly mobile people, usually other Black people, who were seen to be socially pretentious. It is now also used as a term of mild censure, referring in general to people who have expensive tastes.
Usage
Spelling tips for bougie The slang term bougie comes from a shortening and alteration of the word bourgeois, which is even harder to remember how to spell. How to spell bougie: Bougie is also sometimes spelled boujee, boujie, and boojie, but bougie is the most common spelling. Boogie is a different word altogether. To remember the vowel sequences in bougie (o-u, i-e), just remember this question: âOh, you think Iâm bougie, i.e. too fancy?â
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bougie1
An Americanism dating back to 1965â70; shortening and alteration of bourgeois 1 ( def. )
Origin of bougie2
First recorded in 1745â55; from French, after Bougie (from Arabic BujÄyah ), town in Algeria, center of the wax trade
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.
See Examples For:
How could anyone treasure something so gauche in this bougie travel era of lie-flat seats and $1,000 a night hotels, right?
From The Wall Street Journal â Jul. 1, 2026
I didn’t mind paying the fee, but I wonder if it would be worth it to get the bougie card to have year-round access.
From MarketWatch â Feb. 20, 2026
Gou would have felt equally at home playing in Grand Slam Oval, a patch which feels like an Ibiza beach club throughout the tournament due to a thumping sound system and bougie lounge bars.
From BBC â Feb. 3, 2026
“Places can be very bougie when it comes to skincare. I feel like those places tend to be pretty judgmental,” said Preciado as his skin began to tighten into scale-like formations as the paste dried.
From Los Angeles Times â Jun. 5, 2025
“You wouldn’t go for some dude like Ainsley. Those bougie dudes who think they’re better than everybody. Especially Darius,” he says, smirking.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
Seventy bougies occasioned this, with the number of persons all adding to the heat of the room.
From George Selwyn: His Letters and His Life by E. S. Roscoe
The stenosis is afterwards treated by gradual dilatation with bougies, which, if a tracheotomy has been performed, may conveniently be passed from below upwards.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: ExtremitiesâHeadâNeck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles
Introduction of Bougies.—Œsophageal bougies or probangs are used for diagnostic purposes in cases of suspected stricture, and to aid in the detection of foreign bodies.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: ExtremitiesâHeadâNeck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles
The strictured lumen is to be centered in the esophagoscopic field, and three successively increasing sizes of bougies are used under direct vision.
From Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery by Chevalier Jackson
As soon as the œsophagus has healed, say in three or four weeks, bougies should be passed every three or four days to prevent cicatricial contraction.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: ExtremitiesâHeadâNeck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
