MIDDLE CLASS Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

middle-class 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of middle-class

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

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

Those are the sort of middle-class workers Larson used to support. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026 If the minimum wage instead reached $23 per hour, a full-time worker could earn more than $47,000 annually, a salary that more closely resembles a basic middle-class income rather than a poverty wage. — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026

Noun

Tuck is focusing on wall paintings the middle class had inside smaller houses and how the subject matter differed from murals inside elite homes. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026 Populous nations like India and mainland China—both of which house a growing middle class—are increasingly sources of outbound travelers. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for middle-class

Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class

Adjective

Headline figures such as tasks completed, queries handled or hours saved can look impressive while concealing errors, rework, poor customer outcomes and escalating operating expenses.

— Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Habits like poor sleep, heavy drinking and smoking often make things worse, and work pressure, financial strain and caring for aging parents can compound the effects.

— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026

Definition of poor

Noun

In the 1930’s during the Great Depression, stadiums across America evolved further, adding floodlights for night games so that working class fans could still attend.

— Katie Riley, Southern Living, 20 July 2026
The Oscar nominee stars as Wat Tyler, an ordinary peasant who steps up to lead an extraordinary fight against King Richard II after crushing taxes and political oppression push the country’s working class to a breaking point.

— Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026

Definition of working class

Adjective

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
Their attempts to destroy the bourgeois family were, like the efforts of Suzanna’s mother and grandmother, ambivalent and half-hearted.

— Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026

Definition of bourgeois

Noun

The traditional Marxist framework may explain why Flaubert, the conflicted son of a successful provincial surgeon, wrote naturalistic novels mocking the grandiose aspirations of the rural bourgeoisie, Sartre conceded.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 July 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

The film follows Lena (Lena Trifunović), an anarchist student active in Belgrade’s anti-government movement, and Stefan (Andrija Krivokapić), a working-class youth who finds himself, almost by chance, among pro-government loyalists.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 23 July 2026
Supporters had hoped Platner would be the kind of candidate who could win white working-class voters back to the party, despite controversies including a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol and a history of inflammatory social media posts.

— Jill Colvin, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Definition of working-class

Browse Nearby Words

middle-agers

middle-class

middle class

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of middle-class

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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