petite bourgeoisie
1
9.3
- noun
- /pəˈtiːt bʊrʒwɑːˈzi/
- Jargon
:
pequeña burguesía
- I used to belong to the petite bourgeoisie myself.
Examples
-
On one hand, Jamaat may have initially drawn most of its recruits from the socially conservative petite bourgeoisie in the transitional economy of Pakistan.
Academic text (2005) -
I want to cook for tourists and the petite bourgeoisie.
Fiction book (1995) -
This time the focus is on the intelligentsia, although the canvas includes all social classes: sections of the bourgeoisie, petite-bourgeoisie, and the working class.
Academic text (1997) -
By "bourgeoisie," Barthes generally means the petite bourgeoisie, the lower-middle and middle-middle class fractions.
Academic text (1998) -
Again, Barthes's central purpose is to attack the petite bourgeoisie, while in postmodernist ideologies, such attacks have become discredited as naive and elitist.
Academic text (1998) -
The petite bourgeoisie often scrambles to maintain their small businesses amidst economic challenges.
-
Many members of the petite bourgeoisie pride themselves on their independence and work ethic.
-
In urban areas, the petite bourgeoisie plays a crucial role in supporting local shops and services.
Synonyms
1
8.7
A social class of small shop and business owners and lower level professionals
Antonyms
How Wealthy
15
3.4
11
8.4
516
2.0
- Jargon
1
9.3
69
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
petite + bourgeoisie
The phrase is compositionally adjective+noun: a learner who knows 'petite' (small) and 'bourgeoisie' (the owning/middle class) can plausibly infer 'small' or 'lower middle class.' However, because it is a sociological loanword with specific register and connotations (petty/lower middle class, small shopkeepers) the precise social nuance and conventional usage may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The noun petite bourgeoisie comes from French: petite means 'small' and bourgeoisie means 'town middle class'. It paints a picture of small shop owners and office workers caught between the rich and the working class, so it now means 'the lower middle class'.