bougie

1

or bou·jee

[ boo-zhee, ‐jee ]
See synonyms for bougie on Thesaurus.com
adjectiveSlang.
  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. Also bour·gie [bur-zhee, ‐jee, boo‐] /ˈbɜr ʒi, ‐dʒi, ˈbu‐/ .Often Disparaging and Offensive. 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.

  1. 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.

Origin of bougie

1
An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; shortening and alteration of bourgeois1
  • Also bou·jie, boo·jie [boo-jee]. /ˈbu dʒi/.

usage note For bougie

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.

Other definitions for bougie (2 of 2)

bougie2
[ boo-jee, -zhee, boo-zhee ]

noun
  1. Medicine/Medical.

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

    • a suppository.

  2. a wax candle.

Origin of bougie

2
First recorded in 1745–55; from French, after Bougie (from Arabic Bujāyah ), town in Algeria, center of the wax trade

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for bougie

bougie

/ (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

Origin of bougie

1
C18: from French, originally a wax candle from Bougie (Bujiya), Algeria

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