English

Noun

buppie ‎(plural buppies)

1. (US, slang) short for "black urban professional", a African American subset of the yuppie category. The group includes black professionals and executives in their late twenties and early thirties.

Usage notes

The term is sometimes used in derogatory fashion to discuss Black Americans who place an extreme emphasis on materialism. Jobs associated with buppies include: consultant, investment banker, doctor, Lawyer or engineer.

References

• Official Buppie Handbook (Black Urban Professional), by Thayer William Staples and Katherine McMillan Staples. (1985) ISBN 0-937071-00-5
• "Meet the buppies: A decade into democracy, South Africa's elite blacks prosper. But their glitz and glam hide a world-class inequality that only gets worse", by Jenifer Abrahamson, salon.com, April 29, 2004.