middle-class

1 of 2

adjective

mid·​dle-class ˌmi-dᵊl-ˈklas 

: of or relating to the middle class

especially : characterized by a high material standard of living, sexual morality, and respect for property

middle-classness

ˌmi-dᵊl-ˈklas-nəs 

noun

middle class

2 of 2

noun

: a class occupying a position between the upper class and the lower class

especially : a fluid heterogeneous socioeconomic grouping composed principally of business and professional people, bureaucrats, and some farmers and skilled workers sharing common social characteristics and values

Examples of middle-class in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Álvarez went on to study composition and classical guitar at the Universidad Javeriana, in Bogotá, while cultivating a parallel practice in rock, the preferred music of the city’s middle-class youth. —Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

Almost half of middle-class workers will be downwardly mobile to be poor or poor retirees. —Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024

Noun

Harris will likely try to paint Trump as someone who cuts taxes for the wealthy, but doesn’t do much for the middle class. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Sep. 2024

But considering how the market squeezed most of the NBA's middle class this past offseason, many soon-to-be free agents may be forced to choose between taking a team-friendly extension or testing their luck in free agency. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1836, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1745, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

middle class

noun

: a social class that occupies a position between the upper class and the lower class and is composed mainly of business and professional people, government officials, farmers, and skilled workers

middle-class adjective