as in poor
belonging to the class of people of middle social or economic rank
She grew up in a middle-class neighborhood, as did most of her classmates.
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as in working class
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of middle-class
Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
Between September 2023 and September 2024, high-income households increased spending by 12%, while working-class and middle-class households decreased their spending during the same period, according to Moody’s Analytics.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025
TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
The high cost of long term care leads many older Americans, even those in the upper and middle class, to exhaust their savings.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Adjective
Yes, but: The influx of high-end earners, many drawn to Austin during the remote-work revolution early in the pandemic, exacerbated Austin's affordability crisis, pushing middle-class families to suburbs like Buda and Pflugerville.
—Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
Between September 2023 and September 2024, high-income households increased spending by 12%, while working-class and middle-class households decreased their spending during the same period, according to Moody’s Analytics.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
The purpose of the economy is no longer to improve household incomes and expand the middle class, Gunter said.
—TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
The high cost of long term care leads many older Americans, even those in the upper and middle class, to exhaust their savings.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class
Adjective
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But there is another concerning trend and area that has to be improved — their poor record on second balls.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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Flooding may also occur in poor drainage and urban areas.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There is no single issue in this country that has affected our economy and working class people and their jobs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2025
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Times are hard for the working class, who must contend with low pay and food shortages.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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There’s plenty such wordplay in The Safe House, to the point that the movie can seem like a caricature of overeducated, perpetually growling Parisians shouting for social change, but too self-centered and comfortable in their bourgeois lifestyles to do anything drastic about it.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Feb. 2025
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The social outcast lead is now a Black African (Mamadou Sidibé), action moves to Marseilles and the protagonist is taken in by a suave bourgeois member of the French-Arab community.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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According to theory, words referred not to the world they were tasked with representing but only to other words in a ruthless system where meaning was elusive, reality an illusion and the self a romantic fiction perpetrated by the capitalist bourgeoisie.—
Emily Eakin,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
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Even before the Atlantic City Boardwalk became the iconic scene of the Roaring ‘20s New Jersey bourgeoisie, the Jersey Shore was already increasingly a vacation spot for the wealthy.—
Andrew DePietro,
Forbes,
22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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All of this is a vaguely long-winded way of making a simple point — the outlook for Wolves’ defence has changed dramatically over the course of this season.—
Steve Madeley,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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No code is needed to get started, as a simple click below will activate this offer.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The former governor, a moderate Democrat, is gunning for the same base of working-class, Black outer borough residents that helped Adams win in 2021.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2025
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The governor’s office also underscores that Maryland’s standard deduction is only a third of Virginia’s, meaning that some poor and working-class residents who would pay no income tax in Virginia make enough to pay income tax in Maryland.—
Paul Kiefer,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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