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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as in working class
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of middle-class
Tom Tapp, Deadline, 18 June 2025
Yet the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, judging by what the House of Representatives has passed and what the Senate is now considering, showers direct tax benefits much more on wealthy Americans than on poor or middle-class taxpayers.
—Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2025
Joan C. Williams
june 13, Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
Originally, President Donald Trump wanted to exempt lower and middle class taxpayers from Social Security taxes.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Adjective
While arguably the premier franchise in the NBA, the Lakers have in the past few years had a comparatively middle-class ownership dependent largely on their TV deal with Spectrum Sports.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 18 June 2025
Yet the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, judging by what the House of Representatives has passed and what the Senate is now considering, showers direct tax benefits much more on wealthy Americans than on poor or middle-class taxpayers.
—Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2025
Noun
One or even two pink-collar jobs means a fragile hold in the middle class (at best); the best defense against downward mobility is a blue-collar job, only 17 percent of which are held by women.
—Joan C. Williams
june 13, Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
Originally, President Donald Trump wanted to exempt lower and middle class taxpayers from Social Security taxes.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class
Adjective
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Despite being poor, India’s democracy thrived as its leaders managed the country’s political fortunes through open competition.—
ASHLEY J. TELLIS,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
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Cities affected by the alert included Indio, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, La Quinta and Coachella. To help keep indoor air clean when air quality is poor, officials advised avoiding additional sources of pollution such as fireplaces, candles, and incense.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 June 2025
Noun
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The spat between egos pits a conservative president against a rock n’ roll hero of the American working class — a voting bloc with a MAGA element that helped put Trump over the top in 2024.—
John Scott Lewinski,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
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Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, spoke onstage nearby earlier, decrying the raids as a swipe at working class L.A.—
Andrew Blankstein,
NBC news,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Domesticity presented an existential challenge to the Communist war on bourgeois weakness and materialism.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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The Rue Jacob is decorated in ugly bourgeois tones of: beige and brown, nineteenth-century paintings, Louis-Philippe furniture.—
Constance Debré,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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La Notte, another standout, sees her light up a contemplative drama about the Italian bourgeoisie.—
Rob LeDonne,
Vogue,
6 June 2025
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This creative evolution has expanded papier-mâché’s market appeal, with a new generation of clientele emerging – a group that includes interior designers, a local urban bourgeoisie, and international buyers.—
Fahad Shah,
Christian Science Monitor,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In his formal lecture to the Academy, Campbell offered some reflections on the simple science that gave rise to the treatment, and to its wide array of applications.—
Benjamin Mazer,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2025
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While to some these screen-free devices may seem like a return to the early, simpler days of fitness trackers, Werring says the public is a bit more savvy than the step-counting obsessives of the 2010s.—
Andrew Williams,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Set in the working-class outskirts of L.A., Lolita follows Jesús (Alexis Vazquez), an openly gay man recently released from prison after serving a nine-year sentence for a nonviolent drug offense, who is determined to reclaim his life and reunite with his daughter.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
26 June 2025
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Mamdani ran a social media savvy campaign that featured viral videos such as him speaking to working-class voters in the Bronx and Queens who voted for Trump on issues about the cost of living.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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