middle-class 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of middle-classnext
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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middle class

2 of 2

noun

as in working class

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Dissimilar Words

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 middle-class
Adjective
Her campaign issues include affordability for middle-class families, supporting housing investments, and expanding access to low-cost preventive healthcare services. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 Miami-Dade has been gaining wealthy residents and losing low-income and middle-class residents, according to a Florida International University analysis of tax returns. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
Noun
The frustration and disappointment of the young, educated, and downwardly mobile middle class has become the defining force in Democratic politics. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026 Earning a post-high school degree, whether an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree, is the single most common determinant in moving someone from low income to middle class. — Douglas A. Hicks, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class
  1. poor
  2. working class
  3. bourgeois
  4. bourgeoisie
  5. simple
  6. working-class
Adjective
  • The petition argues Mays’ language during the trial revealed something deeper than a poor defense strategy — a worldview that dehumanized the man he was supposed to defend.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • There remains work to be done, as evidenced by their poor showing in last Thursday’s 41-17 preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
    — Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of poor
Noun
  • Four out of every five Latinos are considered working class, because of this, finding a time to get to a healthcare provider’s office is often difficult.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Did the party go too far left and alienate working class voters?
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of working class
Adjective
  • What the story is actually about almost doesn’t matter — just enjoy the quiet luxury of it all, with the ever-endearing Fabrice Luchini in the lead doing yet another bumbling, bourgeois gentleman of a certain age.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In sharp contrast to the first-generation members of the Frankfurt School, Habermas came from a petit-bourgeois, culturally conservative Protestant milieu, his family name going back to sixteenth-century Thuringian cobblers.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Definition of bourgeois
Noun
  • The state discovered that reforms had to be beneficial to all, and so the political mission had to be implementing education and acculturation as a means of solidifying the nascent bourgeoisie.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • For a long time, the lifestyles and foibles of the modest bourgeoisie were a mainstay of art-house cinema, with urbane, upscale audiences happy to turn out to see versions of their own lives depicted on the screen.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
Definition of bourgeoisie
Adjective
  • With other phones, even something simple like replacing an aging battery often requires melting adhesive, prying apart fragile glass panels, and decoupling cables.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
  • For a generation that grew up under those glowing Pizza Hut pendants, the appeal is simple.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of simple
Adjective
  • People talking about the appeal of democratic socialism talk about the language of affordability and the difficulties of working-class people.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Pelphrey believes Ingelsby is doing a great service by not shying away from the financial challenges of working-class people.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of working-class

Browse Nearby Words

middle-agers
middle-class
middle class
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Cite this Entry

“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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