as in low
belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank
a self-made Internet magnate who is not at all ashamed of his proletarian background
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as in plebeian
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Recent Examples of proletarian
Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
These ranged from the aristocratic elite who dominated the military and bureaucracy and yearned for a return to monarchy, to communists who sought proletarian rule, to the National Socialists who wanted to establish a right-wing dictatorship.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
This new proletarian culture was personified in the ideal of the New Soviet Man.
—Sonja Fritzsche, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
The song, now considered a protest anthem, is about a social revolution in which French proletarians stand against the ruling class — in this case, an oppressive monarchy.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
Later in the novel, Hans’s mind turns to the brutality of occupation: If in the course of a five-day plan, 200,000 Berliners were removed by 50,000, these 50,000 proletarians would be fused into a collective by the shock of having killed.
—Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, 21 June 2023
As a proudly class-conscious proletarian, Martin is naturally supportive of worker strikes.
—J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books, 22 Oct. 2020
Yet modern liberalism fits the modern world of high human capital better than the old rightish model of dim-witted peasants properly led by the aristocracy or the old leftish model of gormless proletarians properly led by The Party.
—The Economist, 8 Jan. 2020
Owing to the extensive use of machinery and to division of labour, the work of the proletarians has lost all individual character, and, consequently, all charm for the workman.
—Tristram Hunt, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.
—Erik Kirschbaum, latimes.com, 3 May 2018
Adjective
But West Virginia is a proletarian locale that until not long ago was a Democratic stronghold.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
These ranged from the aristocratic elite who dominated the military and bureaucracy and yearned for a return to monarchy, to communists who sought proletarian rule, to the National Socialists who wanted to establish a right-wing dictatorship.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
This new proletarian culture was personified in the ideal of the New Soviet Man.
—Sonja Fritzsche, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
On the one hand, the proletarian contributes every bit of on-the-clock activity to the value of the resulting commodity.
—Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
The song, now considered a protest anthem, is about a social revolution in which French proletarians stand against the ruling class — in this case, an oppressive monarchy.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
Later in the novel, Hans’s mind turns to the brutality of occupation: If in the course of a five-day plan, 200,000 Berliners were removed by 50,000, these 50,000 proletarians would be fused into a collective by the shock of having killed.
—Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, 21 June 2023
As a proudly class-conscious proletarian, Martin is naturally supportive of worker strikes.
—J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books, 22 Oct. 2020
Yet modern liberalism fits the modern world of high human capital better than the old rightish model of dim-witted peasants properly led by the aristocracy or the old leftish model of gormless proletarians properly led by The Party.
—The Economist, 8 Jan. 2020
Owing to the extensive use of machinery and to division of labour, the work of the proletarians has lost all individual character, and, consequently, all charm for the workman.
—Tristram Hunt, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.
—Erik Kirschbaum, latimes.com, 3 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proletarian
Adjective
-
Cloudflare projected revenue of $664 million to $665 million for the second quarter, which was lower than the $666 million Wall Street anticipated.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
That is why trust in public health is at an all-time low.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
So much for plebeians like myself, who tended to plants at a local nursery for minimum wage at 17.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
-
Its practical function: No one, neither courtier nor plebeian, could stand close to the queen, conspicuous in her splendid isolation.—
Christopher Knight,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
In Jodie Foster’s satire-cum-thriller, George Clooney plays a Jim Cramer-ish TV finance guru whose bullish promotion of one stock has led desperate prole Jack O’Connell to lose his life savings, leading to a hostage standoff in the TV studio.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But the earlier dolls were crude, lumpen things, a cross between a beanbag and a sculpted potato.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Yet Empire Falls translates into a lumpen, stodgy miniseries, despite a fine central performance from Harris as a divorced diner owner with deep roots in the town and a structure that allows the past to keep informing and enriching the present.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2024
Noun
-
The psoas is important, but invisible, like a commoner.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
-
It will be attended by roughly 150,000 fans, kings and commoners, wearing hats and drinking mint juleps.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The chef Gregory Gourdet, the son of Haitian immigrants, approaches France from the view of the colonies, moving from Vietnam to Louisiana but ever circling back to the Caribbean and its wealth of plantains, salt cod, Scotch bonnets, pikliz and not-so-humble rice and beans.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
After years of seeing Spirit lure leisure travellers, the major airlines, led by Delta, responded with humble basic-economy fares of their own.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Instead of following his gut like some unenlightened pleb, Patrick trusts his spleen and his spleen alone.—
Laura Bradley,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
-
But because these monsters have yet to develop any fungal armor, runners are susceptible to gunshots, knives, and any other weaponry that would take out your average pleb.—
Lauren Puckett-Pope,
ELLE,
20 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
In-stock items must be returned unused and unwashed.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The red contrasted with the dark color of unwashed denim and the tab became an instantly recognizable trademark of Levi’s jeans.—
Jack Armstrong,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Proletarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proletarian. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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