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
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
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
Their butler, Adams, is a proletariat.
—Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 June 2023
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
Their butler, Adams, is a proletariat.
—Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proletariat
Noun
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Some people seem to assume that AI is far beyond our world, and not just computers, data, and algorithms -- see my analysis of how low AI-literacy impacts the populace, at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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If Democratic messaging caters to the populace more concerned with the first objective than the latter, Hernaiz suspects their appeal will continue to wane.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 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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With a new, sobering jobs report out Friday, some current employees at the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are seeking to reassure the American public that the government's economic data is reliable and worthy of their trust.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
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Musk and the president had a public falling out earlier this summer.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proletariat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proletariat. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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