working-class

1 of 2

adjective

work·​ing-class ˈwər-kiŋ-ˈklas 

: 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

Adjective

Jones, a venture capitalist and nonprofit executive who grew up in a working-class household, will now lead a district that was redrawn under Proposition 50 to stretch from the vast wineries of Napa County to the rice fields of Sutter County. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2026

The groundbreaking comes as soaring property taxes and living expenses weigh heavily on longtime residents in the historically working-class neighborhood. — Larry Seward, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026

Noun

That working class people live with paucity of choice, and of chances, may be considered from the outside as a moral and social ill to be reckoned with, but Betty correctly sees that this is the fact of her life and behaves and thinks accordingly. — Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026

Vang also held some of her largest leads among younger voters, Latino voters and those who described themselves as working class. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1833, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for working-class

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

Kids Definition

working class

noun

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

working-class adjective