bobo

Definition

A materialistic person who affects an anti-materialistic persona.

Etymology

Blend of bourgeois + bohemian, popularized by American journalist, commentator and editor David Brooks to describe the 1990s equivalent of the yuppie.

Example Sentences

• "The small things—an olive grove or a small chapel—take on greater meaning to a Bobo on vacation."
• "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."