petit bourgeois
[ puh-tee boo r-zhwah; pet-ee boo r-zhwah, boo r-zhwah; French puh-tee boor-zhwa ]
/ pəˈti bʊərˈʒwɑ; ˈpɛt i ˈbʊər ʒwɑ, bʊərˈʒwɑ; French pə ti burˈʒwa /
noun, plural pe·tits bour·geois [puh-tee boo r-zhwahz; pet-ee boo r-zhwahz, boo r-zhwahz; French puh-tee boor-zhwa] /pəˈti bʊərˈʒwɑz; ˈpɛt i ˈbʊər ʒwɑz, bʊərˈʒwɑz; French pə ti burˈʒwa/.
a person who belongs to the petite bourgeoisie.
Origin of petit bourgeois
Borrowed into English from French around 1855–60
OTHER WORDS FROM petit bourgeois
pe·tit-bour·geois, adjectiveWords nearby petit bourgeois
petiole,
petiolule,
petipa,
petit,
petit beurre,
petit bourgeois,
petit déjeuner,
petit feu,
petit four,
petit jury,
petit larceny
British Dictionary definitions for petit bourgeois
petit bourgeois
/ (ˈpɛtɪ ˈbʊəʒwɑː, French pəti burʒwa) /
noun plural petits bourgeois (ˈpɛtɪ ˈbʊəʒwɑːz, French pəti burʒwa)
Also called: petite bourgeoisie, petty bourgeoisie
the section of the middle class with the lowest social status, generally composed of shopkeepers, lower clerical staff, etc
a member of this stratum
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of the petit bourgeois, esp indicating a sense of self-righteousness and a high degree of conformity to established standards of behaviour