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 according to the study, half of upper-income adults—those earning above $155,600 annually—now also see themselves as working class. — Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026 Sexualizing black women and casually mocking working class women is not accepted anymore. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Rules of Civility, Amor Towles A whip-smart Brooklyn girl from a working-class immigrant family, stationed in a Wall Street typing pool, meets a charming banker named Tinker Grey in a Greenwich Village jazz bar on the last night of 1937. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 As America steams headlong into November, working-class folks are still at loggerheads with its political class. — Jim Beaugez, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 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
  • Fridkin added the residents are a mix of working, middle and upper middle class families.
    — Saige Miller, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Fazio’s says his proposal would send $2,000-plus annually back to middle class families by 2031.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of middle class
Adjective
  • Within premium products, there is a focus on longevity attributes in skin care and elegant, sophisticated makeup products among mature middle-class consumers.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Jay, Tony, Saahil and Sameer come from middle-class homes, and each is weighed down by family duties while hoping for something better.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of middle-class
Noun
  • When the arcade first opened, Europe was navigating industrialization, the rise of the urban bourgeoisie, and the emergence of modern ready-to-wear fashion.
    — Eleonora Giordani, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of bourgeoisie
Adjective
  • Its formless body accommodated slouching, lounging or lying down, selling freedom from both conventional posture and the bourgeois living room.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The group wanted to start fresh further from the bourgeois action, and in 2000 Middleton and Lakofski found a place in the Lower East Side, signed a contract — and returned home to discover that Walton had killed himself.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of bourgeois
Adjective
  • Europe is expected to have a particularly poor corn harvest and needs larger imports just as its demand for feed remains high.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Reese is known as a poor shooter, and is often mocked for missing easy shots in games.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • Next steps could include reducing the computational workload and connecting SANDO to machine-learning systems that accept plain-language instructions.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Adéla also wore a pair of lace-up black boots with spiked heels during a few performances, plainer than the eye-catching hot pink boots but nevertheless stylish.
    — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 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 13 Oct. 2026.

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