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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in working class
Related Words
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 middle-class
Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Every time a middle-class family is forced to drain its wealth or pull back on discretionary spending just to absorb the logistical cost of a geopolitical crisis, the entire economy weakens.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Katica Roy, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Africa’s insurance sector is increasing momentum due to greater demand from a growing middle class, a new report found.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Adjective
Any scholar of religion and a lot of ordinary Christians know that the Pharisees who tormented Jesus and the Roman Empire were not elite but lower-middle-class.
—Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Every time a middle-class family is forced to drain its wealth or pull back on discretionary spending just to absorb the logistical cost of a geopolitical crisis, the entire economy weakens.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
This middle class operates at a zero-margin state.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Africa’s insurance sector is increasing momentum due to greater demand from a growing middle class, a new report found.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class
Adjective
-
Injuries to key players on the Amazin’s contributed to some poor numbers as well.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Although poor students are disproportionately likely to receive special education in New York City, well-off disabled kids are the ones most acutely driving up the budget.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
People born into working class households in the 1840s should have been doing well in the 1870s.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The love affair Europe has for pigeon racing began in the 1800s and grew into a working class sport.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps Fogel, a fervent leftist, chafed at having to celebrate the family, that bourgeois institution.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
-
His savior was the experimental documentarian Harun Farocki, famous for provocative works that skewered bourgeois complacency.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Scheidt’s family were members of the German-Jewish bourgeoisie (a distant cousin, Albert Ballin, was general director of what became the world’s largest steamship line).—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The flashbacks to Emma’s adolescence, which Borgli films with some curiosity, are far more engaging than the film’s depictions of the chatty Boston bourgeoisie, which exude self-satisfied certainty.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
July 23 – August 22 Clarity today comes from keeping your message simple and grounded.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Brown said Atlanta was taking away the Knicks’ spray game, which made the answer simpler.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Canary Wharf, formerly grim docks and working-class housing blocks in eastern London, has been transformed into a mammoth global commercial center.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, he was often criticized as being out of touch with working-class Canadians, a perception that contributed to mounting political pressure toward the end of his time in office.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
