Synonyms of proletariat

proletariat

noun

ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət 

as in masses

people looked down upon as ignorant and of the lowest class

the Bolsheviks believed that Russia's discontented proletariat made that nation ripe for revolution

Synonyms & Similar Words

• masses
• populace
• rabble
• public
• people
• unwashed
• scum
• trash
• rout
• riffraff
• rabblement
• ragtag and bobtail
• mob
• bourgeoisie
• tag, rag, and bobtail
• commoners
• dregs
• plebeians
• commons
• millions
• multitude
• rank and file
• working class
• middle class
• herd
• hoi polloi

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• society
• aristocracy
• elite
• gentry
• quality
• upper class
• establishment
• elect
• upper crust
• nobility
• A-list
• peerage
• gentlefolk

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of proletariat

Severin, on the other hand, represents the revolutionary proletariat. — JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025

Lower than proletariat workers, the lumpenproletariat includes the indigent and the unemployable, those cast out of the workforce with no recourse, or those who can’t enter it in the first place, such as young workers in times of economic depression. — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025

As is the case with the aesthetics of people, exquisite lines can be found on patrician and proletariat cars alike. — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025

Inspired by Karl Marx, the Bolsheviks dreamed of a world communist revolution and held special expectations for Germany, Marx’s homeland, and for its proletariat. — Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 June 2023