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Glite Dictionary
red bourgeoisie

red bourgeoisie

9.9
Middle or upper class people in a socialist state who live in luxury while claiming to support equality
  • noun
  • /rɛd bʊrʒwɑːˈzi/
  • Formal
translation icon : burguesía roja
  • His lifestyle was more typical of the red bourgeoisie than of a true socialist.

Examples

  • The new policy was designed to curb the influence of the red bourgeoisie in the government.

  • She accused the red bourgeoisie of ignoring the needs of ordinary workers.

  • The red bourgeoisie often face criticism from true socialists.

  • Many believe the red bourgeoisies are hypocrites.

  • His lifestyle was more typical of the red bourgeoisie than of a true socialist.

  • She accused the red bourgeoisie of ignoring the needs of ordinary workers.

  • The new policy was designed to curb the influence of the red bourgeoisie in the government.

Antonyms

working class
69 2.8

People who do manual or factory work and earn hourly wages

proletariat
  • Specialized
17 7.9

People who work for pay and do not own land or factories

Surface Forms

red bourgeoisie singular
red bourgeoisies plural

Morphology

red + bourgeoisie

The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'red' (communist/revolutionary) modifying 'bourgeoisie' (the property-owning class), so it denotes bourgeois people who are communist or aligned with socialist politics. This compositional pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the core meaning (though some pragmatic criticism about hypocrisy may require context).

Etymology

Red bourgeoisie joins red, the colour of socialist and communist flags, and bourgeoisie, a word for the middle or rich class. The picture is of rich people who wear the 'red' label but keep their wealth, so the phrase means wealthy people in a 'socialist' system who enjoy privileges while claiming to support equality.