lumpen

adjective

ˈlu̇m-pən How to pronounce lumpen (audio)
Definition of lumpennext
as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank a kind of music that has traditionally appealed to the lumpen segment of the musical audience

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of lumpen But the earlier dolls were crude, lumpen things, a cross between a beanbag and a sculpted potato. — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 Yet Empire Falls translates into a lumpen, stodgy miniseries, despite a fine central performance from Harris as a divorced diner owner with deep roots in the town and a structure that allows the past to keep informing and enriching the present. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2024 Then the judges booted her for wearing a lumpen quilt skirt accessorized with a blow-up-doll boyfriend. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 20 Apr. 2022 Tye Sheridan gives a somewhat lumpen performance as the author’s stand-in, an aspiring writer whose family background is funky, to say the least. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Jan. 2022 The films of Sean Baker celebrate lumpen characters and communities that subsist within the cracks of America’s neoliberal landscape. — Erik Morse, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2021 Indeed, the miniatures — lumpen clay armchairs and occasional tables that Valle arranges and rearranges inside shoebox versions of their ultimate destinations — are closer to dollhouse furniture than to showpiece renderings. — New York Times, 9 Sep. 2021 Some collectors are leaning further into technology by amassing digital artworks, while other sets of buyers are coping by prizing ceramics, with their fragile, lumpen tactility. — Kelly Crow, WSJ, 6 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumpen
  1. low
  2. proletarian
  3. unwashed
  4. plebeian
  5. lower-class
  6. low-life
  7. humble
  8. vulgar
Adjective
  • Wall Street looked past geopolitics even as oil prices climbed on the back of lower-than-expected inflation figures that sent tech stocks higher.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 15 July 2026
  • The results were consistent across most states lower rates of sleep insufficiency were associated with longer life expectancy.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Definition of low
Adjective
  • But West Virginia is a proletarian locale that until not long ago was a Democratic stronghold.
    — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
  • These ranged from the aristocratic elite who dominated the military and bureaucracy and yearned for a return to monarchy, to communists who sought proletarian rule, to the National Socialists who wanted to establish a right-wing dictatorship.
    — Time, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of proletarian
Adjective
  • Keep unwashed produce separate from ready-to-eat foods and raw meat, poultry or seafood.
    — Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • Scabies, ringworm, rashes from numerous unknown sources and unwashed skin was wrapped in clothing of stiff linen, smelly woolens or coarse calico.
    — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of unwashed
Adjective
  • Linen and cotton, cooling garments, were too plebeian; the people posed nobly for street-style social-media accounts in leather jackets and low-slung jorts.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
  • This one is about a regular old guy, a hedge knight in the plebeian population of Westeros, just trying to get by in a world that isn't kind to the common and poor.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of plebeian
Adjective
  • The franchise centers around a dystopian nation called Panem, where rich and authoritarian leaders force twelve lower-class districts to submit two children to fight in a deadly, and televised, battle every year.
    — Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026
  • In recent years, more and more students from lower-class families have been able to attend universities.
    — The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
Definition of lower-class
Adjective
  • The president can be assured that his low-life actions will eliminate him as a candidate to get to Heaven.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Inside, everything was magically transformed into a 1930s Parisian low-life dive.
    — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2026
Definition of low-life
Adjective
  • Family described him as a kind and humble man who worked hard and never hesitated to help others.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • The humble pen offers a very handy, easy-to-carry form factor for writing, so why not use it for other tasks, too?
    — Ben Coxworth July 14, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
Definition of humble
Adjective
  • Lonnie is loud, obnoxious, and vulgar in ways that rankle traditional golfers.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • Suki, a vocal Black woman with an at times vulgar persona, whereas Althoff, a white woman, gained a reputation as an awkward, seemingly timid interviewer on her The Really Good Podcast.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of vulgar

Browse Nearby Words

lumped (up)
lumpen
lumping
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lumpen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumpen. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All