LOWER-CLASS Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

lower-class

adjective

ˌlō-ər-ˈklas

Definition of lower-class

as in low

belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank they were finally earning enough to get out of the lower-class tax bracket

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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 lower-class But new research is shedding light on what life was like for middle- and lower-class residents. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026 The franchise centers around a dystopian nation called Panem, where rich and authoritarian leaders force twelve lower-class districts to submit two children to fight in a deadly, and televised, battle every year. — Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026 In recent years, more and more students from lower-class families have been able to attend universities. — The Atlantic, 16 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lower-class

Adjective

Bonnell Bonnell isn’t the first to come to the electric off-road motorcycle arena, but its strategy is to differentiate itself through integration, adjustability and relatively low weight rather than simply trying to win the horsepower spreadsheet.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
In a footnote to his dissent, Roberts wrote that the underground work on the project – which lower courts had allowed to proceed – addressed the government’s security concerns.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of low

Adjective

Linen and cotton, cooling garments, were too plebeian; the people posed nobly for street-style social-media accounts in leather jackets and low-slung jorts.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
This one is about a regular old guy, a hedge knight in the plebeian population of Westeros, just trying to get by in a world that isn't kind to the common and poor.

— Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 Jan. 2026

Definition of plebeian

Adjective

But West Virginia is a proletarian locale that until not long ago was a Democratic stronghold.

— Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
These ranged from the aristocratic elite who dominated the military and bureaucracy and yearned for a return to monarchy, to communists who sought proletarian rule, to the National Socialists who wanted to establish a right-wing dictatorship.

— Time, Time, 23 Oct. 2025

Definition of proletarian

Adjective

On Sunday, the Sydney Swans — who are second in the AFL — won their penultimate game of the regular season at lowly Essendon, a club based in Melbourne.

— Michael Bailey, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Except the A’s—who, for their part, had finished the month of July with a lowly record of 5–19—won the next game, too.

— Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of lowly

Adjective

Dozens of companies have withdrawn over the past decades due to poor profits, an uncertain business outlook and concerns about harm to their reputations from making arms, especially lethal weapons.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Along the way, the audience can expect tons of humiliation, terrible second prizes, and the guarantee that Robertson will turn at least one poor soul's wrong turn into several minutes of unhinged public destruction.

— Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

Gwyn’s, however, who Richard considers to be his inferior, has jettisoned into success and is in the running for a huge literary prize.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
Curiously, cobalt was linked with a small rise in amyloid-beta proteins in the inferior temporal cortex.

— Mike McRae August 31, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of inferior

Browse Nearby Words

lower

lower-class

lowered

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“Lower-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lower-class. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of lower-class

adjective

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