bourgeoise

American  

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

noun

plural

bourgeoises

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.

Etymology

Origin of bourgeoise

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

Example Sentences

Despite the proletarian connotation of its name, many denounced the building as a bourgeoise emblem.

From New York Times • Sep. 26, 2016

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

It was a terrible grief to her always to find out that she no longer cared for the one she had; but she faced the facts with courage, allowing herself no dissembling, no bourgeoise timidity.

From Rough-Hewn by Canfield, Dorothy