bourgeois
What does "bourgeois" mean?
The term refers to the middle class, specifically those whose social behavior, political views, and values are perceived as being obsessed with material wealth and conventional respectability. The mental image is of someone preoccupied with status, property, and the maintenance of a comfortable, predictable lifestyle at the expense of deeper intellectual or artistic pursuits. Historically derived from French, it is often used in a critical or derogatory sense to describe someone as "conventional" or "tacky." It is most commonly used in discussions regarding social class, art, or politics, often to contrast with the proletariat or the bohemian lifestyle.
"bourgeois" in conversation
Discussing a film
I found the protagonist's obsession with her luxury kitchen really bourgeois.
I found the protagonist's obsession with her luxury kitchen really bourgeois.
Well, that was the point! The director wanted to highlight her shallow priorities.
Well, that was the point! The director wanted to highlight her shallow priorities.
Used to criticize a character's obsession with material status.
Debating art
Do you think this gallery is too bourgeois for us?
Do you think this gallery is too bourgeois for us?
Maybe, but the art is still worth seeing. Let's not be so judgmental.
Maybe, but the art is still worth seeing. Let's not be so judgmental.
Used to describe a place that feels exclusionary or overly concerned with social status.
"bourgeois" in a sentence
They lived a quiet, bourgeois life in the suburbs.
They lived a quiet, bourgeois life in the suburbs.
His criticism of the bourgeois obsession with consumer goods was quite harsh.
His criticism of the bourgeois obsession with consumer goods was quite harsh.
The artist rejected his bourgeois upbringing to live among the struggling poets of the city.
The artist rejected his bourgeois upbringing to live among the struggling poets of the city.
