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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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

But the report cautions against viewing those gains as evidence that Chicago’s Latino working class is disappearing. — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 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

Adjective

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined a demonstration outside a high school in a working-class suburb of Paris on Tuesday as French pupils took to the streets for another day of protests over poor conditions. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026 Born to a Puerto Rican mother and Irish father, Guilfoyle was brought up working-class in San Francisco. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for working class

Recent Examples of Synonyms for working class

Noun

Our current administration is focused more on rewarding the 1% with tax breaks than supporting our middle class.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
By 2030, another 400 million people will enter the middle class, with half that number coming from China and India.

— Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of middle class

Adjective

How do two middle-class lads in ratty threads, who might very well have both been played by Robert Pattinson, fast-track an appointment with Jesus?

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
The end of saving money and raising middle-class wages justifies the means, namely, the destruction of immigrant families.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 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

Doctrinaire critics accused her of being bourgeois, formalist, decadent.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of bourgeois

Adjective

Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
That receiver sends that poor defender into next week at the pylon.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

For example, users could ask ChatGPT to explain an article in plain English, summarize its main argument and supporting evidence, or answer questions about a YouTube video.

— Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2026
Before running an unfamiliar command, paste it into a plain-text editor and compare it with the instructions.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of plain

Browse Nearby Words

working (at or on)

working class

working-class

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Cite this Entry

Style

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

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Synonyms of working class

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

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