WORKING CLASS Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

working class 1 of 2

noun

Definition of working class

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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Dissimilar Words

working-class

2 of 2

adjective

as in middle-class

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of working class

Noun

In the 1930’s during the Great Depression, stadiums across America evolved further, adding floodlights for night games so that working class fans could still attend. — Katie Riley, Southern Living, 20 July 2026 The Oscar nominee stars as Wat Tyler, an ordinary peasant who steps up to lead an extraordinary fight against King Richard II after crushing taxes and political oppression push the country’s working class to a breaking point. — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026

Adjective

Taylor, who raised more than $280,000 in his bid to unseat Simpson, goes by the moniker Matt the Welder to highlight his working-class upbringing. — CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 The bit culminates with a real working-class lad recognizing her from the piece, only to offer his assessment that the magazine was better when Graydon Carter was in charge. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for working class

Recent Examples of Synonyms for working class

Noun

That approach has led him to bet on sectors from defense to life sciences, and trends like the growth of India’s middle class.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
He has been targeted for appearing to concede that the middle class, or those earning under $1 million, will also face higher taxes to finance his progressive healthcare model.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of middle class

Adjective

The show was considered an outlier in its generally sympathetic take on Hill and his conservative views, as well as in terms of the agency with which the show’s creators endowed its working- and middle-class characters.

— Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026
Walmart's disappointing sales and Home Depot's strength among budget-conscious do-it-yourselfers indicate middle-class American consumers are growing more tight-fisted, even as wealthier shoppers have kept supporting luxury brands like Ralph Lauren.

— Juveria Tabassum, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of middle-class

Noun

The state discovered that reforms had to be beneficial to all, and so the political mission had to be implementing education and acculturation as a means of solidifying the nascent bourgeoisie.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
For a long time, the lifestyles and foibles of the modest bourgeoisie were a mainstay of art-house cinema, with urbane, upscale audiences happy to turn out to see versions of their own lives depicted on the screen.

— Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026

Definition of bourgeoisie

Adjective

What the story is actually about almost doesn’t matter — just enjoy the quiet luxury of it all, with the ever-endearing Fabrice Luchini in the lead doing yet another bumbling, bourgeois gentleman of a certain age.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
In sharp contrast to the first-generation members of the Frankfurt School, Habermas came from a petit-bourgeois, culturally conservative Protestant milieu, his family name going back to sixteenth-century Thuringian cobblers.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Definition of bourgeois

Adjective

The petition argues Mays’ language during the trial revealed something deeper than a poor defense strategy — a worldview that dehumanized the man he was supposed to defend.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
There remains work to be done, as evidenced by their poor showing in last Thursday’s 41-17 preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

— Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

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working (at or on)

working class

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Style

“Working class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20class. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of working class

noun

adjective

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