# bourgeois

/ˈbʊɹʒwɑ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bourgeois
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. middle-class and conventional

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

having the habits and values of the middle class, often in a way that seems boring or too focused on money.

For teachers: relating to the middle class, typically with a pejorative connotation of being overly conventional, materialistic, or preoccupied with social status.

- They live a very bourgeois life with their expensive car and perfect garden.
- The artist mocked the bourgeois values of his parents, claiming their obsession with respectability stifled any true creativity.

Usage: Often used as a criticism rather than a neutral description.

### 2. capitalist

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

relating to the people who own businesses and property in a capitalist system.

For teachers: relating to the ruling class in a capitalist society who own the means of production.

- The book discusses the rise of bourgeois society during the industrial revolution.
- Marxist critics argued that the legal system was merely a bourgeois instrument designed to protect private property at the expense of the workers.

### 3. a middle-class person

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a person who belongs to the middle class or has middle-class values.

For teachers: an individual belonging to the middle class or the capitalist class.

- He was a typical bourgeois who cared mostly about his bank account.
- The play satirizes the aspirations of a wealthy bourgeois who desperately wants to be accepted by the old aristocracy.

### 4. printing type size

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

a specific size of small printed letters used in old books.

For teachers: a size of printing type, approximately 9 points, situated between brevier and long primer.

- The old newspaper was printed in bourgeois type, making it hard to read.
- The manual was set in bourgeois, a common choice for nineteenth-century technical publications requiring high information density.

## Examples

- He wore a very bourgeois suit to the party.
- The critic dismissed the film as too bourgeois, arguing that it ignored the struggles of the working class.
- The novel critiques the bourgeois obsession with appearances, showing how characters sacrifice genuine connection for the sake of social standing and financial security.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.