middle-class

1 of 2

adjective

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

middle-classness

ˌmi-dᵊl-ˈklas-nəs 

noun

middle class

2 of 2

noun

: 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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Sluggish growth, low interest rates and the vaporization of middle-class wealth after the 2008 financial crisis had robbed financiers of profitable deals in the Global North. —Hettie O'Brien, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026

Joe is the coach and the manager, the one who believes that his boys can lift the Jackson family out of the lower-middle-class doldrums that would otherwise be their fate as Black Americans. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026

Noun

Voters in California may soon decide on a ballot measure that seeks to help the state's middle class afford to buy a home, by establishing a $25 billion loan program that would provide down payment assistance. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026

This middle class operates at a zero-margin state. —Katica Roy, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1836, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1745, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for middle-class

• candlemas
• fiberglass
• fibreglass
• hourglass
• isinglass
• lemongrass
• martinmas
• orchardgrass
• overpass
• plexiglas
• plexiglass
• sassafras

Kids Definition

middle class

noun

: a social class that occupies a position between the upper class and the lower class and is composed mainly of business and professional people, government officials, farmers, and skilled workers

middle-class adjective