middle-class

adjective

mid·dle-class | \ ˌmi-dᵊl-ˈklas

Definition of middle-class

(Entry 1 of 2)

: of or relating to the middle class especially : characterized by a high material standard of living, sexual morality, and respect for property

middle class

noun

Definition of middle class (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

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Examples of middle-class in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The fate of our middle class — the fate of the American Dream, even — depends on it. — David Scharfenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston’s middle class is getting crushed — does anyone care?," 30 Aug. 2019 There were healthy labor unions and a corresponding rise of the American middle class during that time period. — Letter Writers, Twin Cities, "Letters: Roots of slavery in America go back thousands of years," 28 Aug. 2019 That divisiveness has amped up again in recent years, Gerber argues, because many immigrants have arrived illegally, and the secure, well-paying factory jobs that long ushered newcomers into the middle class have disappeared. — oregonlive.com, "Wordless terror and the world’s refugees: Steve Duin," 2 Aug. 2019 With its middle class hollowed out, California has transitioned to an economy with incredibly high levels of income inequality — think of the difference in income between an Uber driver and an Uber product supervisor. — James P. Sutton, National Review, "Why the GOP Has Declined in California," 1 Aug. 2019 Instead, the United States was the rare consensual government in history in which the middle class, in numbers and influence, defined the society and culture at large. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "The American Middle Class," 22 Aug. 2019 Few things unite Nigeria’s middle classes like anxiety over international visa application processes—and none more so than for the United States. — Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, "Trump’s clampdown on US visas for Nigerians is cultivating fear—and “fake news”," 17 July 2019 The first tax-filing season under the new law jostled the upper-middle class, as people making between $100,000 and $250,000 became less likely to receive refunds and more likely to owe money with their returns. — Richard Rubin And Anthony Debarros, WSJ, "You Filed Returns. The IRS Compiled the Data. Here’s How the New Tax Law Is Working.," 2 July 2019 Most are running on similar platforms, promising a reversal of Donald Trump’s climate change–denying policies, better wages for the middle class, expanded healthcare benefits, and electoral reform that would beat back the influence of dark money. — Heather Timmons, Quartz, "Meet the dogs of the 2020 presidential race," 1 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'middle-class.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of middle-class was in 1745

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More Definitions for middle-class

middle class

noun

English Language Learners Definition of middle class

: the social class that is between the upper class and the lower class and that includes mainly business and professional people, government officials, and skilled workers

See the full definition for middle class in the English Language Learners Dictionary

middle class

noun