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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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
Given Pittsburg’s working-class roots, the Fialas knew their wine bar couldn’t be fussy or intimidating. — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026 The movie, which went on to score Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, followed three working-class secretaries. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 25 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
  • 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
  • Animals could offer liberatory models to throw off bourgeois conventions, returning Surrealists to primal ways of being.
    — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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
Adjective
  • As of Tuesday morning, those two clubs remained in the top four English spenders on a net basis this summer, but the reasons are plain.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Every project should publish a plain-English fact sheet before approval.
    — Mark Drapeau, Fortune, 25 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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