Master confusing words with ease
Bourgeois vs. Proletariat
Bourgeois
/ˈbʊəʒwɑː/Examples:
She's frustrated with her parents' bourgeois lifestyle.His art critiques the superficiality of bourgeois values.They strive to live beyond the bourgeois constraints.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Proletariat
Examples:
The novel chronicles the rise of the proletariat.As automation grows, the proletariat's role is evolving.Many social movements focus on empowering the proletariat.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Bourgeois is often used to describe the middle class or those perceived as materialistic and conventional, whereas proletariat refers to the working class, typically in an industrial context.
- A way to remember bourgeois is to think of it as the class with material advantages and cultural capital, often associated with owning property.
- In contrast, remember that proletariat is often tied to labor and production without ownership of the means, highlighting workers reliant on selling their labor.
- Bourgeois has a slightly dismissive or critical tone when describing people who conform to mainstream image norms, while proletariat evokes a sense of solidarity among workers.
- The bourgeois are seen as upholding the capitalist system, while proletariat is often associated with movements aiming for social change or revolution.
© 2025 Lithium Lab Pte Ltd