bourgeoisie

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bour·geoi·sie

(bo͝or′zhwä-zē′)

1. The middle class.

2. In Marxist theory, the social group opposed to the proletariat in the class struggle.

[French, from bourgeois, bourgeois; see bourgeois.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bourgeoisie

(ˌbʊəʒwɑːˈziː)

1. (Sociology) the middle classes

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in Marxist thought) the ruling class of the two basic classes of capitalist society, consisting of capitalists, manufacturers, bankers, and other employers. The bourgeoisie owns the most important of the means of production, through which it exploits the working class

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bour•geoi•sie

(ˌbʊər ʒwɑˈzi)

n.

1. the middle class.

2. (in Marxist theory) the property-owning capitalist class in conflict with the proletariat.

[1700–10; < French; see bourgeois¹, -y³]

Bourgeoisie

bourgeois collectively or as a class, the French middle class, 1707; also extended to other nationalities.

bourgeoisie

1. People who, in the capitalist system, own the means of production, i.e. those things which are used to produce commodities, such as factories, machinery, and finance. According to Marx, as society moved from feudalism to capitalism, the bourgeoisie replaced the aristocracy as the real power holders. A distinction is sometimes made between the petite bourgeoisie (small property owners such as tradesmen, shopkeepers, and craftsmen) and the haute bourgeoisie (large scale property owners such as company owners.)

2. The class in society who control the means of production, such as capitalists and large employers, and, according to Marxist theory, oppress the working class.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

bourgeoisie - the social class between the lower and upper classes

middle class

social class, socio-economic class, stratum, class - people having the same social, economic, or educational status; "the working class"; "an emerging professional class"

petite bourgeoisie, petty bourgeoisie, petit bourgeois - lower middle class (shopkeepers and clerical staff etc.)

bourgeois, burgher - a member of the middle class

Translations

bourgeoisie

[ˌbʊəʒwɑːˈziː] N → burguesía f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

bourgeoisie

[ˌbʊə^rʒwɑːˈziː] n → bourgeoisie f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

bourgeoisie

n → Bürgertum nt, → Bourgeoisie f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

bourgeoisie

[ˌbʊəʒwɑːˈziː] n → borghesia

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

References in classic literature ?

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There lies your strength and your value--to the capitalist class. But should you change your belief to something that menaces the established order, your preaching would be unacceptable to your employers, and you would be discharged.

View in context

And so all over the world two classes were forming, with an unbridged chasm between them--the capitalist class, with its enormous fortunes, and the proletariat, bound into slavery by unseen chains.

View in context

With the invention of steam and the Industrial Revolution there came into existence the Capitalist Class, in the modern sense of the word.

View in context

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