bourgeois

See also: Bourgeois

English

This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes then please add them!

WOTD – 15 March 2008

Alternative forms

burgeois

Etymology 1

Borrowed 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.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔːʒ.wɑː/, /ˈbʊəʒ.wɑː/
- Audio (UK); /ˈbɔːʒ.wɑː/: (file)
(General American) IPA^(key): /bʊɹʒˈwɑː/, /ˈbʊɹʒ.wɑː/, /bʊʒˈwɑː/, /ˈbʊʒ.wɑː/
- Audio (US); /bʊʒˈwɑː/: (file)
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ʒwɑː, -ʊə(ɹ)ʒwɑː, -ɑː

Adjective

bourgeois (comparative more bourgeois, superlative most bourgeois)

Of or relating to the middle class (often derogatory), their presumed overly conventional, conservative, and materialistic values.
bourgeois opinion
(historical) Of or relating to the bourgeoisie, the third estate of the French Ancien Regime.
(Marxism) Of or relating to the capitalist class, (usually derogatory) the capitalist exploitation of the proletariat.

Synonyms

(conventional, conservative): square

Derived terms

Translations

of or relating to the middle class

Arabic: بُرْجُوَازِيّ (burjuwāziyy)
Armenian: բուրժուական (hy) (buržuakan)
Basque: burges
Belarusian: буржуа́зны (buržuázny)
Bulgarian: буржоа́зен (bg) (buržoázen)
Catalan: burgès (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 有产阶级 (zh) (yǒuchǎnjiējí)
Czech: buržoazní
Danish: borgerlig
Dutch: burgerlijk (nl)
Finnish: porvarillinen (fi), keskiluokkainen (fi)
French: bourgeois (fr)
German: bourgeois (de), bürgerlich (de)
Greek: αστικός (el) (astikós)
Hebrew: בּוּרגָנִי
Hungarian: középosztálybeli (hu)
Indonesian: borjuis (id), orang borjuis, kelas menengah (id)
Irish: meánaicmeach, buirgéiseach
Italian: borghese (it)
Kapampangan: burgis
Kazakh: буржуазиялық (burjuaziälyq)
Macedonian: буржоа́ски (buržoáski)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: borgerlig
Polish: burżuazyjny (pl)
Portuguese: burguês (pt)
Romanian: burghez (ro), burjui (ro)
Russian: буржуа́зный (ru) (buržuáznyj)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: буржујски, буржоаски

Roman: buržujski, buržoaski
Slovak: buržoázny
Slovene: buržoazen
Spanish: burgués (es)
Swedish: borgerlig (sv)
Tagalog: arianin, burgis
Ukrainian: буржуа́зний (buržuáznyj)

conventional, conservative and materialistic

Arabic: بُرْجُوَازِيّ (burjuwāziyy)
Catalan: burgès (ca)
Danish: borgerlig
Finnish: keskiluokkainen (fi), poroporvarillinen
French: bourgeois (fr)
German: spießig (de), spießbürgerlich (de)
Hungarian: nyárspolgári (hu), nyárspolgárias
Irish: buirgéiseach
Russian: обыва́тельский (ru) (obyvátelʹskij)
Spanish: burgués (es), aburguesado (es)
Swedish: borgerlig (sv)

of or relating to capitalist exploitation

Arabic: بُرْجُوَازِيّ (burjuwāziyy)
Armenian: բուրժուական (hy) (buržuakan)
Belarusian: буржуа́зны (buržuázny)
Bulgarian: буржоа́зен (bg) (buržoázen)
Catalan: burgès (ca) m
Czech: buržoazní
Finnish: porvarillinen (fi)
Hebrew: בּוּרגָנִי
Hungarian: burzsoá (hu)
Irish: buirgéiseach
Kazakh: буржуазиялық (burjuaziälyq)
Macedonian: буржоа́ски (buržoáski)
Polish: burżuazyjny (pl)
Portuguese: burguês (pt)
Russian: буржуа́зный (ru) (buržuáznyj)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: буржујски, буржоаски

Roman: buržujski, buržoaski
Slovak: buržoázny
Slovene: buržoazen
Ukrainian: буржуа́зний (buržuáznyj)

Noun

bourgeois (usually uncountable, plural bourgeois)

(politics, collectively, usually in the plural) The middle class.
(rare) An individual member of the middle class.
(usually derogatory) A person of any class with bourgeois (i.e., overly conventional and materialistic) values and attitudes.
(history) An individual member of the bourgeoisie, the third estate of the French Ancien Regime.
(Marxism) A capitalist, (usually derogatory) an exploiter of the proletariat.
- 1977 [1848], Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei (Marx-Engels-Werke; 4), page 478; English translation from Samuel Moore, transl., Manifesto of the Communist Party (Marx/Engels Collected Works; 6), translation of original in German, 1976 [1888], page 502:
  The bourgeois sees in his wife a mere instrument of production. He hears that the instruments of production are to be exploited in common, and, naturally, can come to no other conclusion than that the lot of being common to all will likewise fall to the women.
  [original: Der Bourgeois sieht in seiner Frau ein bloßes Produktionsinstrument. Er hört, daß die Produktionsinstrumente gemeinschaftlich ausgebeutet werden sollen, und kann sich natürlich nichts anderes denken, als daß das Los der Gemeinschaftlichkeit die Weiber gleichfalls treffen wird.]
- 1967 [1894], Владимир Ленин [Vladimir Lenin], “Выпуск I”, in Что такое «друзья народа» и как они воюют против социал-демократов? (В. И. Ленин – Полное собрание сочинений; 1), page 153; English translation from “Part I”, in What the “Friends of the People” Are and How They Fight the Social-Democrats (V. I. Lenin – Collected Works; 1), translation of original in Russian, 1977, page 154:
  Nothing is more characteristic of the bourgeois than the application of the features of the modern system to all times and peoples.
  [original: Нет ничего характернее для буржуа, как перенесение черт современных порядков на все времена и народы.]
  Net ničevo xarakterneje dlja buržua, kak perenesenije čert sovremennyx porjadkov na vse vremena i narody.

Related terms

Translations

the middle class

Arabic: بُرْجُوَازِيَّة f (burjuwāziyya)
Armenian: բուրժուազիա (hy) (buržuazia)
Basque: burges
Belarusian: буржуазі́я f (buržuazíja), мяшча́нства n (mjaščánstva)
Bulgarian: буржоа́зия (bg) f (buržoázija)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 中產階級 / 中产阶级 (zh) (zhōngchǎn jiējí)
Czech: buržoazie f
Esperanto: burĝaro
Finnish: keskiluokka (fi)
Indonesian: borjuis (id)
Irish: meánaicme f
Macedonian: буржоазија f (buržoazija)
Polish: burżuazja (pl) f
Russian: буржуази́я (ru) f (buržuazíja), меща́нство (ru) n (meščánstvo)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: буржоа́зија f

Roman: buržoázija (sh) f
Slovak: buržoázia (sk) f
Slovene: buržoazija f, meščanstvo n
Tagalog: burgis
Ukrainian: буржуазі́я f (buržuazíja), міща́нство n (miščánstvo)

individual member of the middle class

Armenian: բուրժուա (hy) (buržua)
Belarusian: буржуа́ m (buržuá), буржу́й m (buržúj) (colloquial), мешчані́н m (mješčanín), мяшча́нка f (mjaščánka)
Bulgarian: буржоа́ (bg) m (buržoá)
Czech: měšťák (cs) m, buržuj (cs) m
Esperanto: burĝo (eo)
Finnish: porvari (fi)
French: bourgeois (fr) m, bourgeoise (fr) f
German: Bourgeois (de) m
Indonesian: borjuis (id)
Irish: buirgéiseach m
Italian: borghese (it) m or f
Macedonian: буржуј m (buržuj), буржујка f (buržujka)
Polish: burżuj (pl) m, mieszczanin (pl) m, mieszczanka (pl) f
Portuguese: burguês (pt) m, burguesa f
Romanian: burghez (ro) m
Russian: буржуа́ (ru) m (buržuá), буржу́й (ru) m (buržúj) (colloquial), мещани́н (ru) m (meščanín), меща́нка (ru) f (meščánka)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: бу̀ржӯј m

Roman: bùržūj (sh) m
Slovak: meštiak m, buržuj m
Slovene: buržuj m
Tagalog: burgis
Ukrainian: буржуа́ (uk) m (buržuá), буржу́й (uk) m (buržúj) (colloquial), міщани́н m (miščanýn), міща́нка f (miščánka)

person with bourgeois values

Czech: měšťák (cs) m
Finnish: porvari (fi), poroporvari (fi)
Indonesian: borjuis (id)
Russian: обыва́тель (ru) m (obyvátelʹ), обыва́тельница (ru) f (obyvátelʹnica), мещани́н (ru) m (meščanín), меща́нка (ru) f (meščánka)
Tagalog: burgis
Turkish: burjuva (tr), kentsoylu (tr)

member of the Third Estate

Finnish: porvari (fi)
Indonesian: borjuis (id)
Russian: буржуа́ (ru) m (buržuá)
Tagalog: burgis

exploitive capitalist

Czech: buržoa m
Danish: burgøjser (da) c
Finnish: porvari (fi), lahtari (fi)
Greek: αστός (el) m (astós)
Indonesian: borjuis (id)
Russian: буржуа́ (ru) m (buržuá), буржу́й (ru) m (buržúj) (colloquial)
Tagalog: burgis

Verb

bourgeois (third-person singular simple present bourgeoises, present participle bourgeoising, simple past and past participle bourgeoised)

(transitive) To make bourgeois.

Etymology 2

From Middle English burjois, from French Bourgois, probably from Bourges (a city in France) + -ois (forming adjectives) but possibly from bourgeois above or after Jean de Bourgeois who worked as a printer in Rouen c. 1500.