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
Daniel Wortel-London, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City yesterday, taking over one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics with a promise to transform government on behalf of the city’s striving, struggling working class.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
The show reveals the dramatics of the posh upper-class (back then, football was a sport for the wealthy) and follows how a working-class team makes its way to the Football Association finals, only to come up against an aristocratic club that has long held the champion title.
—Stephanie Bai, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for working class
Noun
But framing the city’s problems purely in terms of race and poverty obscured the broader swath of issues facing the city’s working class.
—Daniel Wortel-London, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City yesterday, taking over one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics with a promise to transform government on behalf of the city’s striving, struggling working class.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Due to its working-class roots, and the cold-water flats that go with them, Tampere has more public saunas than any other city in Finland.
—Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
The show reveals the dramatics of the posh upper-class (back then, football was a sport for the wealthy) and follows how a working-class team makes its way to the Football Association finals, only to come up against an aristocratic club that has long held the champion title.
—Stephanie Bai, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for working class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for working class
Noun
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During the same period, union membership declined, the Democratic Party abandoned its working-class base, and both parties presided over the shrinking of the middle class.—
Annie Levin,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
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There is some evidence that one reason the middle class is shrinking is that more people have entered upper-income tiers.—
Mark Robert Rank,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Conrad Hilton, the hotel magnate, opened hotels around the country, and his Turkish Hiltons gained a reputation for offering the best burgers and American architecture to upper-middle-class Turks.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
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Connecticut House Republicans last October proposed dramatically expanding a state income tax credit that offsets a portion of middle-class households’ municipal property tax bills.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
3 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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The bourgeois Alban can’t handle the thought of his well-to-do neighbors seeing members of his own family on the street looking for work.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
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In the 19th century, the rise of bourgeois society in the Industrial Revolution saw the arrival of the necktie.—
Kristina Kukolja,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Semmann said stores raise prices primarily in response to supply chain issues, such as poor harvests, changes to international trade policy or increasing logistical costs.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Boating conditions are poor across offshore waters south of Cape Canaveral, while small craft need to exercise caution near the inlets.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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For areas south and east of the city, a change to plain rain is anticipated before clearing later in the night.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Once the burners are completely cool, use a cloth dampened with plain water to wipe off the spill.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Working class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20class. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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