definitions

bourgeois

1
[ boo r-zhwah, boo r-zhwah; French boor-zhwa ]
/ bʊərˈʒwɑ, ˈbʊər ʒwɑ; French burˈʒwa /
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noun, plural bour·geois.

a member of the middle class.
a person whose political, economic, and social opinions are believed to be determined mainly by concern for property values and conventional respectability.
a shopkeeper or merchant.

adjective

belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting of the middle class.
conventional; middle-class.
dominated or characterized by materialistic pursuits or concerns.

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RELATED WORDS

materialistic, Victorian, conservative, common, Philistine, conventional, illiberal, middle-class, traditional, hidebound, old-line

Nearby words

bourbons, bourdon, bourdon gauge, bourdon-tube gauge, bourg, bourgeois, bourgeois, louise, bourgeois, léon, bourgeoise, bourgeoisie, bourgeoisify

Origin of bourgeois

1
1555–65; < Middle French; Old French borgeis burgess

Definition for bourgeois (2 of 3)

bourgeois

2
[ ber-jois ]
/ bərˈdʒɔɪs /

noun Printing.

a size of type approximately 9-point, between brevier and long primer.

Origin of bourgeois

2
First recorded in 1815–25; perhaps from a printer so named

Definition for bourgeois (3 of 3)

Bourgeois

[ boo r-zhwah, boo r-zhwah; French boor-zhwa ]
/ bʊərˈʒwɑ, ˈbʊər ʒwɑ; French burˈʒwa /

noun

Lé·on Vic·tor Au·guste [ley-awn veek-tawr oh-gyst] /leɪˈɔ̃ vikˈtɔr oʊˈgyst/, 1851–1925, French statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1920.
Louise,1911–2010, U.S. sculptor, born in France.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bourgeois

British Dictionary definitions for bourgeois (1 of 3)

bourgeois

1
/ (ˈbʊəʒwɑː, bʊəˈʒwɑː) often derogatory /

noun plural -geois

a member of the middle class, esp one regarded as being conservative and materialistic or (in Marxist thought) a capitalist exploiting the working class
a mediocre, unimaginative, or materialistic person

adjective

characteristic of, relating to, or comprising the middle class
conservative or materialistic in outlooka bourgeois mentality
(in Marxist thought) dominated by capitalists or capitalist interests
Derived Formsbourgeoise (ˈbʊəʒwɑːz, bʊəˈʒwɑːz), fem n

Word Origin for bourgeois

C16: from Old French borjois, burgeis burgher, citizen, from bourg town; see burgess

British Dictionary definitions for bourgeois (2 of 3)

bourgeois

2
/ (bəˈdʒɔɪs) /

noun

(formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 9 point

Word Origin for bourgeois

C19: perhaps from its size, midway between long primer and brevier

British Dictionary definitions for bourgeois (3 of 3)

Bourgeois

/ (French burʒwa) /

noun

Léon Victor Auguste . (leɔ̃ viktɔr oɡyst). 1851–1925, French statesman; first chairman of the League of Nations: Nobel peace prize 1920
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

Word Origin and History for bourgeois

bourgeois

adj.

1560s, "of the French middle class," from French bourgeois, from Old French burgeis, borjois "town dweller" (see bourgeoisie). Sense of "socially or aesthetically conventional" is from 1764; in communist and socialist writing, as a noun, "a capitalist" (1883).

It is better to be a good ordinary bourgeois than a bad ordinary bohemian. [Aldous Huxley, 1930]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper