French word

bourgeois

Pronunciation

IPA/buʁʒwa/

Meaning

  • adjectivemiddle-class

Example

Ils vivent dans un quartier bourgeois.

They live in a middle-class neighborhood.

Illustration for bourgeois (middle-class)

More examples

Son mode de vie bourgeois se voit dans ses habitudes.

His middle-class lifestyle shows in his habits.

Core concept

A well-appointed town home, polished manners, and conventional tastes.

Common phrases

  • mode de vie bourgeois

    middle-class lifestyle

  • milieu bourgeois

    middle-class environment

Similar words

conservateur: Preferring established ways and values over change.
traditionnel: Following long-established customs, practices, or styles.
aisé: Having enough money to live comfortably.

Definition in French

Qui caractérise les personnes ou les choses rattachées à la bourgeoisie, au confort et à des mœurs plutôt conventionnelles.

Word origin

Bourgeois comes through Old French burgeis from bourg, meaning a town or borough, and originally referred to a town dweller before becoming associated with the middle class.

Usage tips

  • Bourgeois can sound neutral in social description but critical when it suggests narrow tastes or complacency, so context controls its tone.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word