Bougie
/ˈbuːʒi/noun
A slang adjective meaning pretentious, luxury-obsessed, or aspiring to a higher social class.
Did you know?The slang sense comes from French bourgeois, and the word’s social edge is so strong that it now signals class performance more than actual wealth.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Latin
Latin
burgus
“a fortified town or borough”
Old High German
OHG
burg
“fortified place, castle”
Old French
Old French
bourgeois
“townsman; inhabitant of a borough”
18th–19th Century
French
bougie
“candle”
20th Century
English
bougie
“slang for socially pretentious or upscale; associated with bourgeois style”
Explore more surprising origins