bohemian

plural bohemians · alternative Bohemian

1. A person, especially an artist or writer, who lives an unconventional or nonconformist lifestyle.

   Whitman was, by no means, the "King of Bohemia"—that title went to Henry Clapp Jr., the founding editor of the Saturday Press—but the bohemians embraced and supported him at a crucial moment in his career.

   2014, Joanna Levin, Edward Whitley, editors, Whitman among the Bohemians, University of Iowa Press, page xiv

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   Burlington, where Mr. Twitchell grew up and where he now spends summers, was singled out by David Brooks in his wickedly funny “Bobos in Paradise” as a model Latte Town, a city that has perfectly reconciled the mercenary instincts of the bourgeoisie with the artistic spirit of the bohemians to create an upscale consumer culture.

   2002 July 7, Patricia Cohen, “In Defense Of Our Wicked, Wicked Ways”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 Jan 2018

   During 1940–1941, the few Hollywood bohemians that did appear received "harsher" depictions. The United States' preparations for and eventual entry into World War II figured prominently in this decline and change in the treatment of Hollywood bohemians.

   2008, Brett L. Abrams, Hollywood Bohemians, McFarland, page 195

comparative more bohemian · superlative most bohemian · alternative Bohemian

1. Unconventional, especially in habit or dress.

   2001, Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce (scriptwriters), Moulin Rouge!, Please tell me you're not one of Toulouse's oh-so-talented, charmingly bohemian, tragically impoverished protégés!

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   Cowell's earlier, more bohemian years are not only the most interesting, they comprise the only part of his life for which one could reasonably attempt to do the kind of work that I have tried to do here.

   2002, Michael Hicks, Henry Cowell, Bohemian, University of Illinois Press, page 4

   Georgetown, a Jesuit university and a "hot big city school" (Mathews 2007:53): is popularly believed to be "hotter," wealthier, more bohemian, more liberal, and more laid back than its secular counterpart, GWU.

   2014, Shabana Mir, Muslim American Women on Campus, University of North Carolina Press, page 18

   The magazine's aesthetic also bends it into more bohemian territory. Food articles often have botanical illustrations of lesser-eaten greenery like endive and watercress, drawn by artist John Burgoyne.

   2017, Shawn Chandler Bingham, “Bohemian Groves, Grooves, Gardens, and Guns”, in Shawn Chandler Bingham, Lindsey A. Freeman, editors, The Bohemian South, University of North Carolina Press, page 271

plural Bohemians

1. A native or resident of Bohemia.First known use 16th c.
2. archaicA Gypsy, a Romani.First known use 16th c.
3. Alternative letter-case form of bohemian; someone known for flouting social conventions, especially someone involved in the arts.First known use 19th c.

   Despite such setbacks - and Rowie had many of them during her career - she remains a true Bohemian in the classic tradition.

   1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 113

1. not comparableOf, or relating to Bohemia or its language.First known use 16th c.

   He observed, that the Bohemian language was true Sclavonick.

   1791, James Boswell, Life of Johnson, Oxford, published 2008, page 467

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   Her grandparents on one side were Bohemian, or Czech, as it was called now.

   2020, Brandon Taylor, Real Life, Daunt Books Originals, page 33

2. not comparableAlternative letter-case form of bohemian; unconventional in habit or dress.

   Synonyms: Bohemish

1. historicalThe Czech language.First known use 17th c.