bourgeois
/buʁ.ʒwa/
The French word bourgeois can be translated as bourgeois.
As an adjective, bourgeois describes someone or something as conventional, conservative and materialistic. As a noun in formal French, it can denote a member of the bourgeoisie or someone with a conservative mindset.
Meaning: conventional, conservative and materialistic (adj)
Which one should you use?
While bourgeois can serve as a neutral noun to describe a middle-class citizen, it is very frequently used pejoratively to imply that a person is narrow-minded or overly concerned with material status.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an adjective, bourgeois is invariable in gender if it refers to the concept of the middle class. However, when used as a noun, the feminine form of bourgeois is bourgeoise to refer to a female member of that class.
How do you pronounce it?
/buʁ.ʒwa/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In modern French, the term bobos is a popular slang shorthand for bourgeois-bohémiens. It describes wealthy people who adopt a counter-culture or artistic lifestyle.
- The word bourgeois originally had nothing to do with social class, but simply meant a 'town dweller' who lived in a 'bourg' or fortified town.
- During the French Revolution, the bourgeois were often caught in a social squeeze between the nobility and the sans-culottes, the working-class radicals.
Examples in context
- C'est un petit bourgeois.He's a petty bourgeois.This sentence is useful for describing a petty bourgeois using bourgeois.Tatoeba #2963387 by Blabla, translation #10266462 by bekindtoall
- J'ai besoin d'un minimum incompressible de confort bourgeois.I need an irreducible minimum amount of bourgeois comfort.This sentence is useful for describing a minimum of bourgeois comfort using bourgeois.Tatoeba #881286 by sacredceltic, translation #10148285 by shekitten
- C’est un meuble de bourgeois.It's a piece of bourgeois furniture.This sentence is useful for describing a piece of bourgeois furniture using bourgeois.Tatoeba #10480995 by madjidoumnia, translation #12228294 by Miktsoanit
- Des valeurs bourgeoisesMiddle-class values
- Les bourgeois profitent souvent de leurs privilègesThe middle-class often takes advantage of their privileges
- Cette fête est trop bourgeoiseThis party is too conventional
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing a new lifestyle trend.
- ManonCe nouveau restaurant semble très bourgeois.This new restaurant seems very conventional.
- LucasOui, tout est un peu trop classique pour moi.Yes, everything is a bit too classic for me.
- ManonTu préfères les endroits plus originaux, Lucas ?Do you prefer more original places, Lucas?
- LucasAbsolument, je déteste ce style bourgeois.Absolutely, I hate that bourgeois style.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bourgeois” translations and entries bourgeois, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bourgeois, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
