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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

middle class

2 of 2

noun

as in working class

Related Words

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

The sport of kings, as it was known, also transcended class boundaries, with blue-collar bettors mixing with relatively wealthy owners and middle-class fans. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026 While Nairobi Water pipes and delivers water to wealthy and middle-class neighborhoods, Kibera and other informal settlements all report the same problem. — Raul Roman, NPR, 25 July 2026

Noun

The maker of engines, cockpit equipment and aircraft power systems benefits from growing air travel demand as the global middle class expands. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 July 2026 The middle class is slowly being pulled into the unaffordability circle. — Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for middle-class

Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class

Adjective

Covid-19 wasn’t immediately recognized as a disease with airborne transmission with the potential to spread beyond the 6-foot social distancing measure, especially in places with poor ventilation or around activities with heavy breathing.

— Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Crepe myrtles may not bloom due to poor pruning, low light, watering issues, weak soil, or pests.

— Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 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

Her campaign has emphasized protecting working-class residents from displacement while resisting what progressives describe as an increasingly corporate approach to city government.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
Theirs was a working-class community, nestled just a few blocks west of the presidential palace, that in recent years has been overrun by gangs and subjected to extreme and indiscriminate violence.

— Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

Definition of working-class

Browse Nearby Words

middle-agers

middle-class

middle class

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of middle-class

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

élan

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes