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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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

But the solution is likewise complex; children who are read to are more likely to show improved literacy overtime but for many working class parents and families, time is in short supply. — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026 Outreach to the Latino working class should stress economic dignity, not socialist ideology. — León Krauze, Washington Post, 7 July 2026

Adjective

Family Matters, about the ups and downs of a working-class Black family, became a favorite in ABC’s TGIF lineup. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026 Rivas Hernandez was 11 then, a girl with big brown eyes who loved to sing and dance and lived with her parents and two older siblings in a modest stucco house in Lake Elsinore, a working-class exurb about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for working class

Recent Examples of Synonyms for working class

Noun

The massacre devastated Wilmington’s flourishing Black middle class and sent a message of impunity to white vigilantes nationwide.

— Namara Smith, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
Even after the 1995 legislature created a new credit to offset a portion of local property taxes paid by the middle class, that group and the wealthy both paid very similar effective rates for most of the income tax’s first two decades.

— Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of middle class

Adjective

California has the fifth-highest income threshold for middle-class households in the country, with a 2026 middle-class income range of $66,766 to $200,298.

— Ruyuan Li. Summary produced by AI assistance, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Although still budget-friendly, these properties, aimed at middle-class travelers, reflected an upgrade in accommodations and offerings from those of Club Med.

— Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of middle-class

Noun

The traditional Marxist framework may explain why Flaubert, the conflicted son of a successful provincial surgeon, wrote naturalistic novels mocking the grandiose aspirations of the rural bourgeoisie, Sartre conceded.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 July 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

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
Their attempts to destroy the bourgeois family were, like the efforts of Suzanna’s mother and grandmother, ambivalent and half-hearted.

— Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026

Definition of bourgeois

Adjective

Covid-19 wasn’t immediately recognized as a disease with airborne transmission with the potential to spread beyond the 6-foot social distancing measure, especially in places with poor ventilation or around activities with heavy breathing.

— Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Crepe myrtles may not bloom due to poor pruning, low light, watering issues, weak soil, or pests.

— Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

For instance, a plain English muffin typically contains about 120 to 150 calories, while a standard plain bagel often has 250 to 350 calories.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
The fiber slows digestion, which can blunt the blood sugar spike that plain lemonade would normally cause.

— Sarah Anzlovar, Verywell Health, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of plain

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working (at or on)

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Style

“Working class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20class. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of working class

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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