Definition of proletariat
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
People Are Reading
Examples of proletariat in a Sentence
the Bolsheviks believed that Russia's discontented proletariat made that nation ripe for revolution
Recent Examples of proletariat from the Web
-
Red Army troops beat and starved the proletariat into submission.
-
The Chevrolet Bolt, the proletariat machine that beat his nascent Model 3 to market by the better part of a year, is, well, not bolting at all.
-
Proudly declaring uncompromising war on art under the dictatorship of the proletariat, Comrade Olsen sells his works without hesitation.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'proletariat'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of proletariat
French prolétariat, from Latin proletarius
Other Sociology Terms
Learn More about proletariat
-
See words that rhyme with proletariat Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for proletariat Spanish Central: Translation of proletariat Nglish: Translation of proletariat for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of proletariat for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about proletariat
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up proletariat? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!