Meanings
bobo1
plural bobos
- A materialistic person who affects an anti-materialistic persona.
The small things—an olive grove or a small chapel—take on greater meaning to a Bobo on vacation.
2000, David Brooks, Bobos in Paradise […] , Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 2071 more example
Peruse the Paris papers these days and you'll notice an obsession with bobos: no, they're not a team of cheerleaders or a troupe of clowns, but rich, artsy types known as bourgeois bohemians, who are now pretty much the tip of Parisian tastemakers. So when friends who were recently staying in Saint Germain des Pres asked me where to go to people watch, I told them to head for the Ninth Arrondissement citadel of bobo cool. […] The food’s better than might be expected at such a furiously fashionable address, and for an amusing eyeful of Parisian bobos in all of their splendor, this place can’t be beat.
2011 April 12, Alex Lobrano, “Bobo Heaven in Paris”, in T Magazine, archived from the original on 16 Apr 2023, retrieved 26 Jun 2019 - A self-styled bodyguard or groupie of the nouveau riche (such as a professional athlete or musician).
bobo2
Bobo3
- pluralplural onlyA people indigenous to Burkina Faso, Africa.
- A surname.
- A barangay of Piagapo, Lanao del Sur, Philippines.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
bobo · noun
Blend of bourgeois + bohemian, popularized by American journalist, commentator and editor David Brooks to describe the 1990s equivalent of the yuppie.
Full word history & related roots →bobo · noun
- Frenchbobo“boo-boo”
- Englishbobo
Borrowed from French bobo (“boo-boo”).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
bobo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bobo
“bobo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bobo. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bobo,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bobo.
Source: bobo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.