working-class

1 of 2

adjective

work·​ing-class ˈwər-kiŋ-ˈklas How to pronounce working-class (audio)
: of, relating to, deriving from, or suitable to the class of wage earners
working-class virtues
a working-class family

working class

2 of 2

noun

: the class of people who work for wages usually at manual labor

Examples of working-class in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The picture opens as Bruce is riding high, perhaps a little too high for a working-class Freehold, New Jersey kid who bought his first guitar after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 24 Oct. 2025 Raised in Blackpool, England, after his adoption into a working-class family, Ball grew up a budding artist with a penchant for the Northern soul craze then sweeping the north of England, obsessively collecting Tamla and Stax singles. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
There’s Staten Island — working class, the world of the secretaries, the world that takes the ferry in to the financial district in New York. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025 But overall Mamdani’s platform seems to speak especially to Hollywood’s working class. Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for working-class

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1833, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of working-class was in 1757

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Working-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/working-class. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

working class

noun
: the class of people who work for wages usually in manual labor
working-class adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on working-class

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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