proletariat

noun

pro·​le·​tar·​i·​at ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət How to pronounce proletariat (audio)
-ē-ˌat
1
: the laboring class
especially : the class of industrial workers who lack their own means of production and hence sell their labor to live
2
: the lowest social or economic class of a community

Examples of proletariat in a Sentence

the Bolsheviks believed that Russia's discontented proletariat made that nation ripe for revolution
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Inspired by Karl Marx, the Bolsheviks dreamed of a world communist revolution and held special expectations for Germany, Marx’s homeland, and for its proletariat. Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 June 2023 The first scenario does much more to reduce poverty, demonstrating the importance of permanently expanding access to unemployment insurance to workers with nontraditional jobs—part-timers, freelancers, and other members of the gig economy’s swelling proletariat. Matthew Desmond, The New York Review of Books, 28 Dec. 2023 In this way, Du Bois argued in his seminal 1935 work, Black Reconstruction, white elites in the United States had created a double proletariat divided by a racial line. Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022 Their butler, Adams, is a proletariat. Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022 See all Example Sentences for proletariat 

Word History

Etymology

French prolétariat, from Latin proletarius

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of proletariat was in 1847

Dictionary Entries Near proletariat

Cite this Entry

“Proletariat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proletariat. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

proletariat

noun
pro·​le·​tar·​i·​at ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət How to pronounce proletariat (audio)
-ˈtar-,
-ē-ˌat
1
: the lowest social or economic class of a community
2
: industrial workers who sell their labor to live

More from Merriam-Webster on proletariat

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