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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Dissimilar Words
as in working class
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of middle-class
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
The middle-class professional and then-married father had led an astonishing double life while carrying out a string of brutal killings.
—Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 19 Apr. 2026
But if America maintains her free market principles, ever more people will join the upper-middle class in the decades to come.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Adjective
In fact, Nicky and Morgan’s middle-class respectability conceals an overwhelming existential paralysis.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
The middle-class professional and then-married father had led an astonishing double life while carrying out a string of brutal killings.
—Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
Dido grew up in the center of upper middle class artistic London.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 19 Apr. 2026
But if America maintains her free market principles, ever more people will join the upper-middle class in the decades to come.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class
Adjective
-
The Braves couldn’t overcome a poor start from Reynaldo López and saw their six-game winning streak fall by the wayside in an 11-4 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday at Nationals Park.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
In the days leading up to his fatal overdose, Prince was in poor health and was forced to cancel shows in Atlanta.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mamdani took office in January after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live, centering his agenda on refocusing the vast power of government toward helping the city's struggling working class.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Mamdani took office in January after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live, centering his agenda on refocusing the vast power of government toward helping the city’s struggling working class.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps Fogel, a fervent leftist, chafed at having to celebrate the family, that bourgeois institution.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
-
His savior was the experimental documentarian Harun Farocki, famous for provocative works that skewered bourgeois complacency.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The flashbacks to Emma’s adolescence, which Borgli films with some curiosity, are far more engaging than the film’s depictions of the chatty Boston bourgeoisie, which exude self-satisfied certainty.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Noasis, around the corner from Base Camp, is for families of tech bourgeoisie.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Both include full integration of the climate controls into the screen, requiring more concentration to use and additional steps to make adjustments previously accomplished by pressing a simple button.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Scientists at Florida International University are developing a drug compound known as CTS2444-32, designed to reach deep brain regions affected by Parkinson's through a simple nasal delivery system.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Bar manager and bartender Kyle Nelson, of Valparaiso, believes working-class citizens should be able to see themselves in government.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The special election result was just the latest twist in a yearslong battle over how to make housing more affordable for Coloradans, especially those in low-income and working-class families who have largely been priced out of the market.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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