as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
a kind of music that has traditionally appealed to the lumpen segment of the musical audience
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Recent Examples of lumpen
But the earlier dolls were crude, lumpen things, a cross between a beanbag and a sculpted potato.
—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Yet Empire Falls translates into a lumpen, stodgy miniseries, despite a fine central performance from Harris as a divorced diner owner with deep roots in the town and a structure that allows the past to keep informing and enriching the present.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2024
Rhys spent decades, often isolated and paranoid, in lumpen houses and apartments in and out of London, before success arrived late.
—
New York Times,
20 June 2022
Then the judges booted her for wearing a lumpen quilt skirt accessorized with a blow-up-doll boyfriend.
—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
20 Apr. 2022
Tye Sheridan gives a somewhat lumpen performance as the author’s stand-in, an aspiring writer whose family background is funky, to say the least.
—
Globe Staff,
BostonGlobe.com,
6 Jan. 2022
The films of Sean Baker celebrate lumpen characters and communities that subsist within the cracks of America’s neoliberal landscape.
—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
10 Dec. 2021
Some collectors are leaning further into technology by amassing digital artworks, while other sets of buyers are coping by prizing ceramics, with their fragile, lumpen tactility.
—
Kelly Crow,
WSJ,
6 July 2021
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Yet Empire Falls translates into a lumpen, stodgy miniseries, despite a fine central performance from Harris as a divorced diner owner with deep roots in the town and a structure that allows the past to keep informing and enriching the present.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2024
Rhys spent decades, often isolated and paranoid, in lumpen houses and apartments in and out of London, before success arrived late.
—
New York Times,
20 June 2022
Then the judges booted her for wearing a lumpen quilt skirt accessorized with a blow-up-doll boyfriend.
—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
20 Apr. 2022
Tye Sheridan gives a somewhat lumpen performance as the author’s stand-in, an aspiring writer whose family background is funky, to say the least.
—
Globe Staff,
BostonGlobe.com,
6 Jan. 2022
The films of Sean Baker celebrate lumpen characters and communities that subsist within the cracks of America’s neoliberal landscape.
—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
10 Dec. 2021
Some collectors are leaning further into technology by amassing digital artworks, while other sets of buyers are coping by prizing ceramics, with their fragile, lumpen tactility.
—
Kelly Crow,
WSJ,
6 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumpen
Adjective
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Those groups also have lower access to drugs that can stop the transmission of HIV.
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Last winter was the second-warmest on record, according to the city’s ordinance, with record low snowpack almost everywhere.
Adjective
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But West Virginia is a proletarian locale that until not long ago was a Democratic stronghold.
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These ranged from the aristocratic elite who dominated the military and bureaucracy and yearned for a return to monarchy, to communists who sought proletarian rule, to the National Socialists who wanted to establish a right-wing dictatorship.
Adjective
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Place unwashed strawberries in an open container lined with paper towels to absorb excess humidity for optimal storage.
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They’re filmed in unfinished basements or drafty garages; mothers wear bulky winter coats over pajamas, their hair sometimes appearing unwashed, their desperation for a moment alone palpable.
Adjective
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Linen and cotton, cooling garments, were too plebeian; the people posed nobly for street-style social-media accounts in leather jackets and low-slung jorts.
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This one is about a regular old guy, a hedge knight in the plebeian population of Westeros, just trying to get by in a world that isn't kind to the common and poor.
Adjective
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In recent years, more and more students from lower-class families have been able to attend universities.
Adjective
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The president can be assured that his low-life actions will eliminate him as a candidate to get to Heaven.
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Inside, everything was magically transformed into a 1930s Parisian low-life dive.
Adjective
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Teoscar Hernández was back from a hamstring injury, and a little bit humble.
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America's favorite investment has changed over time In 2008, as the Great Recession descended, Americans picked the humble savings account (and the certificate of deposit) as their favorite long-term investment in Gallup polls.
Adjective
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Others were removed early on for vulgar or inappropriate comments, according to a PGA Tour source with knowledge of the events, with five spectators in total ejected from the tournament with six holes to go.
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In recent years, Trae Young has repeatedly tormented the Knicks at the famed Madison Square Garden, turning clutch shots and postgame showmanship into vulgar chants from New York fans.
Cite this Entry
“Lumpen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumpen. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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