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

Jerry’s bold, solid, black-and-white strips seemed to have been pencilled by Ernie Bushmiller and inked by Edward Hopper, proffering a loud-but-soft view of middle-class midcentury America. — Chris Ware, The New York Review of Books, 12 Aug. 2026 The industry is one of the key drivers of Indian economic growth and middle-class expansion, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has played down job displacement concerns. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 11 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

Adjective

On the other lies a park in one of the Bronx’s poorest communities, built on the site of the former Yankee Stadium after the old home of the Yankees was torn down in 2009 and 2010.

— Sam Blum, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Iran’s economy was in a dire state before the war too, with poor economic conditions a key driving factor behind the anti-regime demonstrations which kicked off in the Iranian capital city Tehran in 2025.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 17 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

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 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

Espi was born into a working-class family with no connection to football, 40 kilometres from Valencia, in the neighbouring municipality of Tavernes de Valldigna.

— Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
As economic anxiety reshapes American masculinity, a growing subculture of young and working-class men is turning to maxxing out their bodies as a way to reclaim value in a labor market that increasingly devalues physical work.

— Michael Kimmel, Time, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of working-class

Browse Nearby Words

middle-agers

middle-class

middle class

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Style

“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of middle-class

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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