as in middle class
the class of people who earn money by doing usually physical work and who are not rich or powerful
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as in middle-class
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Recent Examples of working class
Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Jan. 2026
The Coalition That Came Apart Lindsay’s mayoralty also increased tensions among segments of the city’s working class.
—Daniel Wortel-London, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 15 Feb. 2026
The War on Drugs – including the criminalization of marijuana possession – has devastated Black, Brown, and working-class communities, here in Charlotte and around the country.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for working class
Noun
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
The Coalition That Came Apart Lindsay’s mayoralty also increased tensions among segments of the city’s working class.
—Daniel Wortel-London, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Sage — a military veteran, the former executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and a first-time candidate for office — focused his campaign on working-class issues.
—Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 15 Feb. 2026
The War on Drugs – including the criminalization of marijuana possession – has devastated Black, Brown, and working-class communities, here in Charlotte and around the country.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for working class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for working class
Noun
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The onus for resolving this crisis should not be placed on the backs of working and middle class New Yorkers.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Pew Research Center defined the 2024 middle class as households earning $55,820 to $167,460, based on the national median income.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But this community of musicians on Ocean Avenue sprung up less by design and more as a byproduct of affordable housing shrinking to an ever-smaller pool of neighborhoods, among them Midwood, a middle-class residential area in south-central Brooklyn nestled between Marine Park and Bensonhurst.—
Daniel Yadin,
Curbed,
11 Feb. 2026
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All of Youngblood’s victims, some wealthy, some middle-class, trusted him.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 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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These people came from bourgeois families.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Jim Dickinson stepped in to produce and play a little piano, but Travis deemed the results too polished, too polite, too bourgeois.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Policymakers globally are increasingly worried that the unequal adoption of AI risks widening income and development gaps between rich and poor countries.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
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In November, Jesse Jackon was hospitalized again after suffering a fall while protesting poor campus living conditions with students at Howard University.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Instead the biscuits made from the mix were plain; my favorite part was the garlic and parsley butter brushed on top.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 Feb. 2026
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And very plain and simple, just depressed.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Working class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20class. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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