bourgeoisie

noun

bour·​geoi·​sie ˌbu̇(r)zh-ˌwä-ˈzē 

1

: middle class

members of the bourgeoisie

also, plural in construction : members of the middle class

how the bourgeoisie are represented in the novel

2

: a class or group of people with social behavior and political views held to be influenced by private-property interest : a social order dominated by capitalists or bourgeois (see bourgeois entry 2 sense 2)

Examples of bourgeoisie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For a long time, the lifestyles and foibles of the modest bourgeoisie were a mainstay of art-house cinema, with urbane, upscale audiences happy to turn out to see versions of their own lives depicted on the screen. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026

The town next door, Maplewood, built walls and created one-way streets to direct the flow of traffic coming in and out of Newark and Irvington to protect its fading notion bourgeoisie exclusivity. — Literary Hub, 15 June 2026

His mother was born into Rome’s commercial bourgeoisie, but she had essentially been disinherited, nose-diving into the working class with a pair of children to raise. — Andrea Bajani, New Yorker, 7 June 2026

Simone Bellotti’s Jil Sander introduces precision tailoring with pops of emotion and color, while Celine under Michael Rider leans into bourgeoisie dressing with clashes of primary colors and razor sharp lines that is extremely persuasive. — Alex Badia, Footwear News, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from bourgeois

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bourgeoisie

• petite bourgeoisie
• petty bourgeoisie
• the bourgeoisie

Rhymes for bourgeoisie

• abc
• absentee
• addressee
• adoptee
• allottee
• amphorae
• amputee
• apc
• apogee
• appointee
• assessee
• assignee

Kids Definition

bourgeoisie

noun

bour·​geoi·​sie ˌbu̇rzh-ˌwä-ˈzē 

: the middle class of society