working-class

1 of 2

adjective

work·​ing-class ˈwər-kiŋ-ˈklas 

: of, relating to, deriving from, or suitable to the class of wage earners

working-class virtues

a working-class family

working class

2 of 2

noun

: the class of people who work for wages usually at manual labor

Examples of working-class in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

More to Explore Oyster Pirates in the San Francisco Bay Katrina Gulliver February 13, 2023 Once a key element in Native economies of the region, clams and oysters became a reliable source of free protein for working-class and poor urban dwellers. —Logan Kistler, JSTOR Daily, 3 Apr. 2025

Everyone at the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides millions of poor and working-class Americans with assistance for their heating and cooling bills, was terminated. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2025

Noun

The party has become the party of the college-educated and for the college-educated — and its members talk like it in ways the working class often finds condescending or alienating. —Alex Thompson, Axios, 22 Mar. 2025

Spilt Milk is a wonderful coming of age tale set in the blue collar world of Dublin’s working class. —Scott Phillips, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1833, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for working-class

• candlemas
• fiberglass
• fibreglass
• hourglass
• isinglass
• lemongrass
• martinmas
• orchardgrass
• overpass
• plexiglas
• plexiglass
• sassafras

Kids Definition

working class

noun

: the class of people who work for wages usually in manual labor

working-class adjective