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• bourgeois
  bourgeois

  adjective

  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.
• Bourgeois
  Bourgeois

  noun

  Léon Victor Auguste 1851–1925, French statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1920.

bourgeois

¹ American  

[boor-zhwah, boor-zhwah, boo-zhwah, boor-zhwa] / bʊərˈʒwɑ, ˈbʊər ʒwɑ, ˈbu ʒwɑ, burˈʒwa /

adjective

1. 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.

   He lived a bohemian lifestyle frowned upon by bourgeois morality.

   Bored with bourgeois suburbia and starved for authenticity, these progressive millennials are eager to participate in something challenging and important.

2. belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting 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.

   Soviet propaganda treated Democrats and Republicans as interchangeable parts of a bourgeois power structure.

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noun

• bourgeois
  plural

1. a person with conventional or banal tastes and opinions believed to be determined mainly by a concern for respectability and material wealth.

   In this movie he portrays a stuffy bourgeois who plays golf and reads all the right business magazines.

2. a member of the middle class, especially as viewed in Marxist theory.

3. a shopkeeper or merchant.

bourgeois ² American  

[ber-jois] / bərˈdʒɔɪs /

noun

Printing.

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

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Bourgeois ³ American  

[boor-zhwah, boor-zhwah, boo-zhwah, boor-zhwa] / bʊərˈʒwɑ, ˈbʊər ʒwɑ, ˈbu ʒwɑ, burˈʒwa /

noun

1. Léon Victor Auguste 1851–1925, French statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1920.

2. Louise, 1911–2010, U.S. sculptor, born in France.

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bourgeois ¹ British  

/ bʊəˈʒwɑː, bʊəˈʒwɑːz, ˈbʊəʒwɑː, ˈbʊəʒwɑːz /

noun

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

2. a mediocre, unimaginative, or materialistic person

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adjective

1. characteristic of, relating to, or comprising the middle class

2. conservative or materialistic in outlook

   a bourgeois mentality

3. (in Marxist thought) dominated by capitalists or capitalist interests

Bourgeois ² British  

/ burʒwa /

noun

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

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bourgeois ³ British  

/ bəˈdʒɔɪs /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bourgeoise
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bourgeois
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bourgeois¹

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French; Old French borgeis burgess

Origin of bourgeois²

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

Explanation

The adjective bourgeois means relating to or typical of the middle class. If someone says, "Oh, how bourgeois!" it's probably an insult, meaning you're preoccupied with middle-class small-mindedness. As a noun, a bourgeois is a member of the middle class, originally a member of the middle class in France. The word was borrowed from French, from Old French burgeis "citizen of a town," from borc "town, village," from Latin burgus "fortress, castle." The derived word bourgeoisie "the middle class" is a later borrowing from French.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bourgeois Bourgeois

Europe’s public considered the artist, a bourgeois son of a Normandy notary, to be the rear guard of the avant-garde.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

The scenic decor and costumes situate us in the late 19th century of Ibsen’s bourgeois Norway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

She married at 18 years old, leaving her bourgeois family home in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, where she attended a private Catholic school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

"They let you know if they're getting bored. It's not bourgeois polite and that appeals to me."

From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2025

So she was way more bourgeois than we were.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English

For Bourgeois, that uncertainty may have been helpful as he admits he'd "just fall apart and start crying" if he'd found out about the job.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Susan Bourgeois, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, says that the state's LNG exports have helped Europe improve its supply security.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

"They want reliable relationships for their energy," says Bourgeois.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

The art moves from medieval manuscripts to Louise Bourgeois, Diane Arbus and Anselm Kiefer, among many others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

Marguerite Bourgeois was still a leading spirit in the colony, and was actively engaged in founding and conducting her schools for the Indian and Canadian children.

From The Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha The Lily of the Mohawks by Ellen H. Walworth

Related Words

• materialistic
• middle-class