bourgeoisie

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noun bour·geoi·sie \ ˌbu̇(r)zh-ˌwä-ˈzē \

Definition of bourgeoisie

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 ²bourgeois 2)

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Recent Examples of bourgeoisie from the Web

Advocates insist that the children of poor immigrants will automatically vault into the bourgeoisie, closing the fiscal gap and then some.

— reihan salam, National Review, "The Case for Skills-Based Immigration," 28 Aug. 2017
In 1951, Eva sought to become vice president, but withdrew her candidacy due to her failing health and opposition from the nation’s bourgeoisie and military.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Pomerado News, "REVIEW: A powerful ‘Evita’ is gracing the Lyceum Stage," 16 Aug. 2017
Little Haiti was not the most attractive place for my family, the typical pseudo-Haitian bourgeoisie.

— rachelle salnave, miamiherald, "Filmmaker: Little Haiti a place where activists gather to discuss and take action," 17 May 2017
First the bourgeoisie, the middle class, would gain power.

— randy dotinga, The Christian Science Monitor, "'October' masterfully portrays the intricacies of the Russian revolution," 10 May 2017
Some people talk about his movies being a criticism of the bourgeoisie class, or stuff like that.

— lisa weidenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Master of None' Co-Creator Previews "More Ambitious" Season 2," 8 May 2017
Trogneux was born to a bourgeoisie family of chocolatiers, the youngest of six children.

— angela dewan, CNN, "Brigitte Trogneux: From Macron's teacher to France's first lady," 7 May 2017
The Russian Provisional Government, dominated by members of the bourgeoisie—the caste that Lenin despised—had taken over, sharing power with the Petrograd Soviet, a local governing body.

— joshua hammer, Smithsonian, "Vladimir Lenin’s Return Journey to Russia Changed the World Forever," 2 May 2017
One man gives shivers to banks, businesspeople and the bourgeoisie.

— adam nossiter, New York Times, "Left-Wing Politician Shakes Up France’s Presidential Race," 16 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bourgeoisie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.