proletariat
noun
pro·le·tar·i·at
ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət 
-ē-ˌat
1
: the laboring class
especially
: the class of industrial workers who lack their own means of production and hence sell their labor to live
2
: the lowest social or economic class of a community
Examples of proletariat in a Sentence
the Bolsheviks believed that Russia's discontented proletariat made that nation ripe for revolution
Recent Examples on the Web
Somehow, this respectable foe of radicalism had organized the political realignment that broke up the Union, sustained the war that overthrew the South’s ruling class, and managed the struggle that emancipated its proletariat.
—
Matthew Karp, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
As is the case with the aesthetics of people, exquisite lines can be found on patrician and proletariat cars alike.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025
Inspired by Karl Marx, the Bolsheviks dreamed of a world communist revolution and held special expectations for Germany, Marx’s homeland, and for its proletariat.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 June 2023
The first scenario does much more to reduce poverty, demonstrating the importance of permanently expanding access to unemployment insurance to workers with nontraditional jobs—part-timers, freelancers, and other members of the gig economy’s swelling proletariat.
—Matthew Desmond, The New York Review of Books, 28 Dec. 2023
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Matthew Karp, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
As is the case with the aesthetics of people, exquisite lines can be found on patrician and proletariat cars alike.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025
Inspired by Karl Marx, the Bolsheviks dreamed of a world communist revolution and held special expectations for Germany, Marx’s homeland, and for its proletariat.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 June 2023
The first scenario does much more to reduce poverty, demonstrating the importance of permanently expanding access to unemployment insurance to workers with nontraditional jobs—part-timers, freelancers, and other members of the gig economy’s swelling proletariat.
—Matthew Desmond, The New York Review of Books, 28 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Cite this Entry
“Proletariat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proletariat. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
proletariat
noun
pro·le·tar·i·at
ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət
-ˈtar-,
-ē-ˌat
1
: the lowest social or economic class of a community
2
: industrial workers who sell their labor to live
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