Added 10 October 2026
bourgeois
/ˈbɔːʒ.wɑː/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bourgeois at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A capitalist who engages in industrial commercial enterprise.
- A member of the middle class.
adjective
- (according to Marxist thought) being of the property-owning class and exploitive of the working class.
-
Conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class.
a bourgeois mentality
- Belonging to the middle class.
Origin
Unadapted borrowing from French bourgeois (“a class of citizens who were wealthier members of the Third Estate”), from Old French burgeis (“town dweller”), from Frankish *burg, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“stronghold; city”) (whence borough). Doublet of burgess; compare also burgish.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)