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
Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
The couple raised their two children in Rancho Peñasquitos, an upper-middle-class suburb of San Diego, but kept them in touch with their Indian roots by speaking both Telugu and English at home.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
But apparently not the middle class.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Adjective
Arrigo, instead, had already married a middle-class young woman, who despite being half-Parisian still had the tired, backward mentality of a provincial Italian girl.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
The couple raised their two children in Rancho Peñasquitos, an upper-middle-class suburb of San Diego, but kept them in touch with their Indian roots by speaking both Telugu and English at home.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
Even after accounting for the stabilizing effects of the safety net and the tax code, the middle class has seen its relative status diminish.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
But apparently not the middle class.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class
Adjective
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Evening people were 79% more likely to have poor overall heart health compared with those in the intermediate group, the study found.—
Dr. Joseph Wendt,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Audits have identified poor planning, weak oversight, and insufficient monitoring of quality and cost.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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According to his website, he was raised in a working class family that lived in Gallatin and Pendleton counties.—
Jolene Almendarez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Jan. 2026
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This, together with the fragmented working class and weak community roots of Lindsay’s liberalism, left the city unable to fight the wave of neoliberal austerity measures that faced the city.—
Daniel Wortel-London,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the 19th century, the rise of bourgeois society in the Industrial Revolution saw the arrival of the necktie.—
Kristina Kukolja,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2026
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Similar bourgeois mobilizations are happening all over the country.—
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There are things to satirize, trouble, and celebrate about the Black bourgeoisie.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
11 Nov. 2025
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Its leaders sanctioned the mass appropriation of lands from the nobility and their distribution to smaller farmers and the urban bourgeoisie.—
Michael Albertus,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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In such a world, simple answers won’t do; only the courage to ask the hardest questions will push us forward.—
Daphne Koller,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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Knox, who committed to wrestle at Rutgers University, and his dad were initially charged with simple assault for purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury after a brawl broke out at Collingswood High School on February.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The church has a mostly Hispanic and working-class flock.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
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The left's share of working-class votes fell to 22% from 42% in 2007, according to Ipsos/CEVIPOF data.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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