bourgeois

adjective

Definition of bourgeoisnext
as in middle-class
belonging to the class of people of middle social or economic rank The neighborhood was occupied primarily by bourgeois families.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bourgeois Ana Dumitrescu stars as a young Romanian woman who moves to France to work for a bourgeois family and joins an amateur theater troupe adapting Mirbeau’s novel for the stage. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026 Both of his arms are in the sleeves, and his bourgeois father is kneeling on the floor, taking the shirt in order to conserve it, perhaps saving it from being soiled. — Theo Belci, Artforum, 27 Feb. 2026 In a more simplistic story, Derya and Aziz’s efforts to find a good private school for their daughter would come off as a hopeless bourgeois indulgence. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026 Jim Dickinson stepped in to produce and play a little piano, but Travis deemed the results too polished, too polite, too bourgeois. — Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchfork, 8 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bourgeois
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bourgeois
  1. middle-class
  2. working-class
  3. plain
Adjective
  • The bulk of that has been this summer, when her campaign focused on reminding voters about her of her record and middle-class upbringing.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 July 2026
  • In 2009’s Sag Harbor, Whitehead fictionalized his happy but precarious summers in a Black middle-class enclave on Eastern Long Island.
    — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of middle-class
Adjective
  • The film follows Lena (Lena Trifunović), an anarchist student active in Belgrade’s anti-government movement, and Stefan (Andrija Krivokapić), a working-class youth who finds himself, almost by chance, among pro-government loyalists.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 23 July 2026
  • Supporters had hoped Platner would be the kind of candidate who could win white working-class voters back to the party, despite controversies including a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol and a history of inflammatory social media posts.
    — Jill Colvin, Fortune, 23 July 2026
Definition of working-class
Adjective
  • However, this applies strictly to plain coffee, not sugary, high-calorie specialty drinks or concentrated caffeine products.
    — Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • In addition to believing, plain and simple, that Shamea crossed the line with her Miss Diane tea, the newbies also seem frustrated by how much the feud is interfering with the group dynamic and the show’s levity.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of plain

Browse Nearby Words

bourg
bourgeois
bourgeoisie
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Cite this Entry

“Bourgeois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bourgeois. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bourgeois

Nglish: Translation of bourgeois for Spanish Speakers

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