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
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Recent Examples of proletariat
In this way, Du Bois argued in his seminal 1935 work, Black Reconstruction, white elites in the United States had created a double proletariat divided by a racial line.
—
Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
Their butler, Adams, is a proletariat.
—Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022
Because the exploited—the proletariat—have nothing to fall back on, nowhere further to sink, their liberation would be the liberation of history from class struggle.
—James Robins, The New Republic, 19 Jan. 2023
Now a college degree is the most reliable indicator of Democratic preference; the proletariat is dependably Republican.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022
Their butler, Adams, is a proletariat.
—Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022
Because the exploited—the proletariat—have nothing to fall back on, nowhere further to sink, their liberation would be the liberation of history from class struggle.
—James Robins, The New Republic, 19 Jan. 2023
Now a college degree is the most reliable indicator of Democratic preference; the proletariat is dependably Republican.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proletariat
Noun
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There’s a practical benefit to this, along with the synthetics’ super-strength; a story about aliens let loose on a vulnerable human populace would likely have to be a short one.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Aug. 2025
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The broader populace is still seeing pay gains outpace inflation (although to a lesser extent than recent years).—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There was little-to-no doubt Jurgen Klopp’s side were going to defeat Ralf Rangnick’s under-interim-management rabble that day.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement From start to finish, pure madness, amid a rabble that never calmed, never quieted, never quit.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Oct. 2024
Noun
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In pushing ahead with this plan, Netanyahu is going against the wishes of much of the Israeli public and even key voices in the military.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
8 Aug. 2025
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Constructed in 1913, the hotel helped introduce the American public to rock ‘n’ roll music.—
Korrin Bishop,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The world knew that approximately 1,700 innocent people were surrounded by ISIS and facing genocide.—
Nadia Murad,
Time,
13 Aug. 2025
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The economic downturn altered the way young people thought about farming.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proletariat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proletariat. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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