working class 1 of 2

noun

Definition of working classnext
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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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 there's just no chance any working class American east of the Mississippi (or south of the Mason-Dixon) saw Ryan Blaney win. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026 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
Adjective
Blackpool, a vacation spot in England known as the Vegas of the North, has become a symbol of working-class fun. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026 Drawing on memories of working-class Wales, old folk tunes and love for his wife, Stella, Hopkins crafts lush, unapologetically emotional pieces that grapple with self-doubt, aging and life’s long goodbyes. — Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for working class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for working class
  1. middle class
  2. middle-class
  3. bourgeoisie
  4. bourgeois
  5. poor
  6. plain
Noun
  • Those reforms led to huge reduction in poverty, an exploding middle class and a scramble by foreign companies to access the lucrative Chinese market.
    — CNN Staff, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Yet Zhu also privatized the housing stock, instantly creating an urban middle class.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of middle class
Adjective
  • And middle-class folks’ wealth grew at a higher rate than the top 1%.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Robertses settled in Long Beach, an upper-middle-class enclave with a summer-home feel on the shores of Lake Michigan.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 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
  • But tensions have opened up between data center boosters and some community organizations that want to see more jobs and economic benefits go to local residents, especially predominantly poor Hispanic farm and food processing workers.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Conventional wisdom usually attributes those failures to changing markets, disruptive competitors, or poor leadership.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • In 1929, an Armenian immigrant family founded what would become the Colombo brand, selling large containers of plain yogurt as a convenience for fellow transplants from other parts of the world.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Business leaders, model risk teams, auditors and regulators all need different levels of explanation, from a plain-language summary to a detailed technical trace.
    — Sandeep Shivam, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of plain

Browse Nearby Words

working (at or on)
working class
working-class
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Cite this Entry

“Working class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/working%20class. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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