Meanings
nounbovarysm (uncountable)
alternative bovarism · alternative Bovarysm
- uncountableAn imagined or unrealistic conception of oneself.
- uncountablehuman sciencesAn anxiety to escape from a social or sentimental condition judged to be unsatisfactory, sometimes by building a fictitious personality.
Origin
Named after the character of Emma Bovary in Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary + -ism.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan bovarisme
- bovarismeanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Czech bovarysmus, bovarismus
- bovarysmusanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
- bovarismusanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Esperanto bovarismo
- bovarismoanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
French bovarysme, bovarisme
- bovarysmeanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
- bovarismeanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
German Bovarysme
- Bovarysmeanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Greek μποβαρισμός
- μποβαρισμός (bovarismós)anxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Italian bovarismo
- bovarismoanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Japanese ボバリズム, ボバリスム
- ボバリズム (bobarizumu)anxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
- ボバリスム (bobarisumu)anxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Korean 보바리즘
- 보바리즘 (bobarijeum)anxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Polish bovaryzm, bowaryzm
- bovaryzmanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
- bowaryzmanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Portuguese bovarismo
- bovarismoanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Romanian bovarism
- bovarismanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Russian бовари́зм
- бовари́зм (bovarízm)anxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Slovak bovaryzmus
- bovaryzmusanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Spanish bovarismo
- bovarismoanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Swedish bovarysm
- bovarysmanxiety to escape from an unsatisfactory social or sentimental condition
Cite this entry
APA
bovarysm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bovarysm
MLA
“bovarysm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bovarysm. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bovarysm,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bovarysm.
Source: bovarysm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.