mid·dle-class
ˌmi-dᵊl-ˈklas 
: of or relating to the middle class
especially
: characterized by a high material standard of living, sexual morality, and respect for property
a typical middle-class family
traditional middle-class values
: a class occupying a position between the upper class and the lower class
especially
: a fluid heterogeneous socioeconomic grouping composed principally of business and professional people, bureaucrats, and some farmers and skilled workers sharing common social characteristics and values
Examples of middle-class in a Sentence
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Raj Chetty, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
The General Assembly and Lamont ordered in 2023 the state’s first income tax rate reduction since the mid-1990s, which has returned about $300 per year to middle-class households.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
Raj Chetty, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
As a child in the Palisades, Pratt grew up comfortably upper-middle class.
—Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
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Adjective
If students from the top 1% were admitted to Ivy-Plus schools at the same rate as middle-class students with the same SAT or ACT scores, the share of students from the top 1% at America’s top colleges would fall by nearly half.
—Raj Chetty, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
The General Assembly and Lamont ordered in 2023 the state’s first income tax rate reduction since the mid-1990s, which has returned about $300 per year to middle-class households.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
The student from the high-income family is more than twice as likely to be admitted to an Ivy-Plus college as students from middle class families.
—Raj Chetty, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
As a child in the Palisades, Pratt grew up comfortably upper-middle class.
—Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Cite this Entry
“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle-class. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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