precariat

[ pri-kair-ee-uht ]

noun

1. the class of people whose income is so irregular or insecure as to adversely affect both their material and psychological well-being:

   Once a corporate executive, now a struggling freelancer, he was wholly unprepared to join the precariat.

Word History and Origins

Origin of precariat¹

First recorded in 1955–60; blend of precar(ious) ( def ) and (proletar)iat ( def ); salariat ( def )

Example Sentences

The art business puts the precariat and the bourgeoisie in proximity, which can certainly breed resentment.

From New York Times

"So we have tens of millions of people in the precariat economy that are just vulnerable to whatever is going to happen next because our political system is so plutocratic, rotten and nasty," said Sachs.

From Salon

But as a group they are far removed from people, the majority of Americans, who experience true economic vulnerability and a feeling of being the precariat.

From Salon

The “deaths of despair” that disproportionately afflict white blue-collar and precariat workers have not fallen under Trump; with more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in 2019, this American carnage continues.

From The Guardian

Yet again, the academic precariat finds itself at a disadvantage.

From Nature