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bougie

1 American  
[boo-zhee, ‐jee] / ˈbu ʒi, ‐dʒi /
Also boujie, or boujee

adjective

Slang.

  1. 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 can’t afford.

  2. 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 “good schools,” whatever that means.

  3. 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 you’re drinking high-end champagne—out of a red plastic cup.
bougie 2 American  
[boo-jee, -zhee, boo-zhee] / ˈbu dʒi, -ʒi, buˈʒi /

noun

  1. Medicine/Medical.

    1. a slender, flexible instrument introduced into passages of the body, especially the urethra, for dilating, examining, medicating, etc.

    2. a suppository.

  2. a wax candle.

bougie British  
/ ˈbuːʒiː, buːˈʒiː /

noun

  1. med a long slender semiflexible cylindrical instrument for inserting into body passages, such as the rectum or urethra, to dilate structures, introduce medication, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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: “Oh, you think I’m bougie, i.e. too fancy?”

Etymology

Origin of bougie1

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; shortening and alteration of bourgeois 1 ( def. )

Origin of bougie2

First recorded in 1745–55; from French, after Bougie (from Arabic Bujāyah ), town in Algeria, center of the wax trade

Definitions 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.