as in poor
belonging to the class of people of middle social or economic rank
She grew up in a middle-class neighborhood, as did most of her classmates.
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as in working class
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of middle class
Nathan Goldman, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
These are representatives of the Iranian people, especially from the urban middle class.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025
Charna Flam, People.com, 11 July 2025
Such companies once formed the backbone of middle-class opportunity, offering a path to economic independence and intergenerational mobility.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for middle class
Adjective
These benefits provide substantial relief for the middle class, especially since they are structured as deductions, rather than income exclusions, allowing these taxpayers to continue contributing to retirement accounts and Social Security.
—Nathan Goldman, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
These are representatives of the Iranian people, especially from the urban middle class.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025
Noun
The historian-college professor explores Blume’s middle-class, 1950s childhood in New Jersey, to adulthood when her passion for reading turned into an illustrious writing career.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 11 July 2025
Such companies once formed the backbone of middle-class opportunity, offering a path to economic independence and intergenerational mobility.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for middle class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle class
Adjective
-
In Miami’s poorer communities, such as Allapattah and Liberty City, a helicopter inspection suggested extensive roof damage to homes, businesses and churches.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
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But August is perhaps a poor month in which to rally the staff.—
John Updike,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
Noun
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Like so many cities in America, though perhaps more so in working class three-shift towns, New Britain was filled with enormous three-floor, three-family wooden houses, each with apartments stacked one atop the other.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
17 July 2025
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Solid working class, my dad often worked two, sometimes even three, tough physical jobs to support his large family.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Middle-aged and yet still pathetically upwardly mobile, John is the harbinger here, and his nasty bourgeois values, coming between Elsie and Colleen, turn out to the be the meat in the sandwich.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
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Isabella Cosse writes that Quino was attacked both by the left (for being too bourgeois to offer a real critique of the political repression) and by the right (for being too friendly to subversive groups).—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
The promise in the air inspires immigrants, unionists, suffragettes, and a rising Black bourgeoisie.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
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Its leaders sanctioned the mass appropriation of lands from the nobility and their distribution to smaller farmers and the urban bourgeoisie.—
Michael Albertus,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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The duo’s aim is simple: to help foster the next wave of podcasting talent, beyond the public figures and influencers who tend to dominate headlines.—
Essence,
Essence,
11 July 2025
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While in many ways, this flat 33km time-trial is simple, particularly in its middle section, there is still plenty to watch out for.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Epstein was born in 1953 to working-class Jewish parents in Brooklyn and grew up in Sea Gate, a working-class neighborhood on Coney Island.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
18 July 2025
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With stores strategically located near construction hubs in working-class urban and suburban areas, the company’s business model catered to small contractors more than Lowe’s, True Value and Ace Hardware.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
18 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Middle class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle%20class. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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