boujee

Boujee (also spelled bougie) describes someone or something fancy, upscale or a bit pretentious, usually with a wink. Ordering oat milk lattes and calling your apartment a “space” is boujee. So is a $14 candle.

What boujee means

It comes from “bourgeois,” the old word for the comfortable middle class. Merriam-Webster labels it informal and usually disparaging: concerned with wealth, possessions and looking respectable. In everyday slang the sting is often gone, and people call themselves boujee with pride or self-mockery (“I’m a little boujee, I only fly with legroom”).

Dictionary.com draws a line between the two spellings. In hip-hop, “boujee” often means living well while staying grounded. “Bougie” leans more toward mocking people who try too hard to seem upper class. In practice, most people use them interchangeably.

Examples

• “She brought a cheese board to the tailgate. So boujee.”
• “I’m not boujee, I just think hotel robes should be standard.”
• “Boujee on a budget: grocery store flowers and a candle.”

Where it came from

Merriam-Webster dates the adjective to 1968 and the noun to 1966, both formed from “bourgeois.” The Globe and Mail reports it was long used in Black American slang for someone, often a Black person, seen as too eager to climb socially, with older spellings like boojee and buzhie. The Washington Post used it in print by 1987.

The word got its biggest boost from Migos’ “Bad and Boujee,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, released in October 2016. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2017, the first chart-topper for both acts.

Who can say it?

Dictionary.com notes that “boujee” reflects a specifically Black American experience of class and money, and that some people see its casual use by outsiders as appropriation. It’s widely used today, but that history is worth knowing.

Related terms

• Basic: unoriginal, with mainstream tastes.
• Quiet luxury: expensive but understated style.
• Old money aesthetic: the look of inherited wealth.
• Drip: stylish clothes.

See more terms like this in our Gen Z slang guide.