How Did 'Bourgeois' Become a Bad Word?
19 February 2026

How Did 'Bourgeois' Become a Bad Word?

BrainStuff

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The French word 'bourgeois' originally just meant a middle-class town dweller, but it's taken on a lot of different (and often derogatory) connotations over the centuries, including in the English slang term 'bougie'. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/bourgeoisie.htm

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