bourgeoisie

IPA/ˌbɔːʒ.wɑːˈziː/
KK[bˌʊrʒwˌɑzˈi]IPA/ˌbʊrʒ.wɑːˈziː/

bourgeoisie — noun

1. people in the middle social rank, especially when they are seen as comfortable,

1.nounC1
Definition

people in the middle social rank, especially when they are seen as comfortable, conventional, and eager to protect respectable ways of living.

Example

The novel mocks the careful manners of the city bourgeoisie at dinner parties.

bourgeoisie in social criticism

Many young artists felt shut out by the wealthy bourgeoisie in Paris.

wealthy bourgeoisie in a city

Common collocations
  • urban bourgeoisie
  • local bourgeoisie
  • wealthy bourgeoisie
  • provincial bourgeoisie
Synonyms
  • middle class

    neutral everyday term without the critical tone often carried by bourgeoisie

  • respectable classes

    older phrase that stresses social manners and conventional values

  • professional class

    narrower term for educated salaried workers rather than the whole class

Antonyms
  • working class

    people whose position is linked more directly to wage labour than property

  • aristocracy

    social rank above the bourgeoisie, especially in older class systems

Grammar Patterns

the bourgeoisie + verb

the bourgeoisie of + place/period

Usage Note

Often used critically in writing about society, culture, or politics. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense means the middle class in general, while sense 2 is the Marxist label for the class that controls capital and labour.

Common Mistakes

He comes from a bourgeoisie family.
He comes from a bourgeois family.
bourgeoisie names the social class as a group, not one person or an adjective.

2. the class of owners and employers in Marxist thought, whose power comes from con

2.nounC1
Definition

the class of owners and employers in Marxist thought, whose power comes from controlling money, business, and the work of others.

Example

In the pamphlet, the bourgeoisie grows rich while factory workers stay hungry.

bourgeoisie contrasted with workers

The speaker blamed the bourgeoisie for owning the mills and setting wages.

owning industry and wages

Common collocations
  • national bourgeoisie
  • industrial bourgeoisie
  • the bourgeoisie and the proletariat
  • rule of the bourgeoisie
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • proletariat

    the wage-earning class opposed to the bourgeoisie in Marxist theory

  • working class

    broader everyday term for workers rather than owners

Grammar Patterns

the bourgeoisie + exploit/control/dominate + workers

the bourgeoisie and the proletariat

Usage Note

This sense belongs to Marxist or Marxist-influenced analysis and usually contrasts the bourgeoisie with the proletariat. It is not just a neutral label for office workers or comfortable middle-income families.

Common Mistakes

In Marxism, the bourgeoisie means ordinary office workers.
In Marxism, the bourgeoisie means the class that owns capital and employs labour.
this sense is about ownership and power, not simply income level.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Middle class is the plain everyday term for people between the rich and the poor in income, education, or lifestyle. Bourgeoisie often points to the same social group, but it usually sounds more critical, especially when a writer wants to suggest conventional taste, comfort, or a wish to protect the existing order. Upper-middle class is narrower and highlights the richer, more secure part of that group. Elite is wider and usually points to people with the most influence or status, not just the middle ranks. You might describe a suburb as middle class, criticize its manners as bourgeois, and call the small circle of top decision-makers the elite.

middle classbourgeoisie ↗upper-middle classelite ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • urban bourgeoisie
  • industrial bourgeoisie
  • petty bourgeoisie

Phrases

  • rise of the bourgeoisie
  • members of the bourgeoisie

Prepositions

  • bourgeoisie of
  • bourgeoisie in

Etymology

Late LatinOld FrenchFrenchEnglish

English borrowed bourgeoisie from French. In French, it first referred to townspeople and later to the social class of people who lived by property, trade, or professional work rather than manual labour or noble rank. Modern political writing, especially Marxist writing, gave the word its stronger sense of the capitalist class.

First known use

1774

1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1