bourgeoisie

American  

[boor-zhwah-zee, boor-zhwa-zee] / ˌbʊər ʒwɑˈzi, bur ʒwaˈzi /

noun

1. Usually the bourgeoisie in Marxist theory, the powerful capitalist class that owns and is concerned with property, as contrasted with the wage-earning class, which must concern itself with survival: the interests of the bourgeoisie are opposed to revolution and invested in the status quo.

   According to Marx, the rise of the bourgeoisie split the whole of society into two enemy camps—the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

   Many postcolonial societies in the 21st century are hindered by greedy and repressive bourgeoisies.

2. Usually the bourgeoisie the middle class, made up mainly of entrepreneurs, managers, professionals, and skilled office workers, and often characterized as having conventional tastes and values and prizing respectability.

   The pleasure park was for the entertainment of the little town's bourgeoisie on summer evenings, with a dance hall, a gazebo, and other attractions.

   These mass-produced postcards of exotic places were intended for consumption by a white, urban bourgeoisie back home.

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bourgeoisie British  

/ ˌbʊəʒwɑːˈziː /

noun

1. the middle classes

2. (in Marxist thought) the ruling class of the two basic classes of capitalist society, consisting of capitalists, manufacturers, bankers, and other employers. The bourgeoisie owns the most important of the means of production, through which it exploits the working class

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bourgeoisie Cultural  

1. In general, the middle class. Applied to the Middle Ages, it refers to townspeople, who were neither nobles nor peasants. In Marxism it refers to those who control the means of production and do not live directly by the sale of their labor. Karl Marx (see also Marx) distinguished between the “haute” (high) bourgeoisie (industrialists and financiers) and the “petite” (small or “petty”) bourgeoisie (shopkeepers, self-employed artisans, lawyers). Marxism postulates a fundamental conflict between the interests of the bourgeoisie and those of the propertyless workers, the proletariat (see also proletariat).

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Discover More

“Bourgeois” may also refer to mediocre taste or to the flashy display of wealth by the nouveau riche.

Etymology

Origin of bourgeoisie

First recorded in 1700–10; from French; equivalent to bourgeois ¹ + -y ³

Compare meaning

How does bourgeoisie compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• proletariat vs. bourgeoisie

Explanation

This word is used to describe a class of people who fall somewhere between the lowest and highest classes. Bourgeoisie is often used insultingly. In between the very poor and the super rich is the bourgeoisie. People have traditionally viewed the bourgeoisie as kind of crass and pretentious. The word yuppie could be a more contemporary synonym for bourgeoisie. In communist writing, the bourgeoisie are the capitalist class, as opposed to the workers (the proletariat). Most people in the bourgeoisie would probably deny that they are, just like many very rich people would rather say they are middle class.

Example Sentences

Part hobo, part insult comic, part performance artist, Diogenes flaunted his disregard for convention in ways that scandalized the bourgeoisie of Athens and, later, Corinth, after his banishment from Sinope became permanent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

"The Viennese bourgeoisie took them to cafes and shopping, and showed them the local monuments," he added.

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

Jonathan Parks-Ramage knows exactly what he’s doing in evoking bourgeoisie Clarissa Dalloway’s routine in the opening section of his new novel, “It’s Not the End of the World.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2025

Painting Laszlo as some mascot for the self-involved petty bourgeoisie would be easy to do if Berry’s performance didn’t smash all expectations.

From Salon • Nov. 11, 2024

The people who had marched in triumph went to watch the bourgeoisie standing in line and fighting to get through the doors of the banks, and roared with laughter.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende