working class

¹

noun

1. those persons working for wages, especially in manual labor.
2. the social or economic class composed of these workers.

working-class

²

[ wur-king-klas ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the working class, the class of wage earners or manual laborers:

   He came from a working-class neighborhood in Nova Scotia, where his mother took in laundry and his father had a job in the coal mine.

working class

noun

1. Also calledproletariat the social stratum, usually of low status, that consists of those who earn wages, esp as manual workers Compare lower class middle class upper class

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the working class

working class

1. In the United States, the population of blue-collar workers, particularly skilled and semiskilled laborers, who differ in values, but not necessarily in income , from the middle class . In Marxism , this term refers to propertyless factory workers.

Other Words From

• working-class adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of working class¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Origin of working class²

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

He was a bridgehead to Labour's traditional working class roots who saw the value in, and indeed personified, championing the aspirations of the less well off.

From BBC

Plain-speaking and proudly working class, Mr. Prescott served as a visible link to Labour’s traditional origins when the party came to power in 1997 under the modernizing leadership of Tony Blair.

From New York Times

One student quoted in the guidance said they had been told by their peers "you can't be working class because you're at university".

From BBC

She failed to adequately respond to working class voters’ major concerns about the economy and illegal immigration.

From Los Angeles Times

Garcia added, “We can relate to some of the productions. These shows tell the stories of the working class and the immigrant experience, which are things that represent us both.”

From Los Angeles Times