bourgeoise

American  

[boor-zhwahz, boor-zhwahz, boor-zhwaz] / ˈbʊər ʒwɑz, bʊərˈʒwɑz, burˈʒwaz /

noun

bourgeoises plural

1. a female member of the bourgeoisie.

   As a bourgeoise herself, it was her constant policy to elevate and extend the influence of the middle classes.

   The simpler clothes marked her out as a working-class woman rather than a bourgeoise.

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adjective

1. (of a woman, women's concerns, etc.) having, reflecting, or relating to conventional tastes, opinions, and values believed to be determined mainly by a concern for respectability and material wealth; middle-class.

   The movie has to do with careers, fashion, and emotional relationships among mostly idle, rich, bourgeoise females.

   The two women promptly joined corporate law firms, got plastic surgery, and are now enjoying a perfectly wonderful bourgeoise lifestyle.

2. (of a woman, women's concerns, etc.) belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting of members of the middle class, especially as viewed in Marxist theory; concerned with ownership of property and maintenance of the status quo, and having or catering to interests opposed to those of the lower or working class.

   The romance between these revolutionary youths and bourgeoise women was motivated by a longing for a life of danger.

   Socialist critics called the activist Women's Club a bourgeoise organization.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bourgeoises
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bourgeoise

First recorded in 1755–65; from French; feminine of bourgeois ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bourgeoise bourgeoises

Yet as we exited Paris and headed deeper and deeper into “green, bourgeoise France,” the rush of scenery out the window was much as he described.

From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2018

Its vision of a Dorothy stripped of her bourgeoise pretensions and placed in an Oz that looked a lot like, well, the real New York City made it a multiple-Tony-winning hit.

From Time ● Dec. 3, 2015

In 1960, this self-consciously bourgeoise man persuaded the editors of the The Village Voice to let him review films.

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2012

But the undying contradiction of "Threepenny Opera" is that it bites the hand of the politically blasé bourgeoise while also tickling it.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2011

The more bourgeoise of my aunts would introduce me if she were here.

From Outside Inn by Kelley, Ethel M. (Ethel May)

In gaining upon the town, I began to discern groups of rustics, as well as of bourgeoises, assembling and mingling in the dance.

From A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume One by Dibdin, Thomas Frognall

Various degrees of progress could be read in the air and manner of the hearty young "bourgeoises" and their paler or even ruddier partners, as they crunched their bread or sipped their thin wine.

From Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 4 France and the Netherlands, Part 2 by Halsey, Francis W. (Francis Whiting)

To be the slave of half a dozen bourgeoises does not comport with the dignity of one who for years served Madame la Marquise and indeed indirectly serves her still.

From The Lightning Conductor Discovers America by Williamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)

"Nous ne sommes pas des bourgeoises," returns Dodo, very haughtily.

From A House-Party Don Gesualdo and A Rainy June by Ouida

Stangrave looked, and joined in the general laugh of lieutenant, waiters, priests, and bourgeoises.

From Two Years Ago, Volume II. by Kingsley, Charles