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

With an array of working-class Americans standing behind him, from farmers to electrical workers, the president claimed the bill would lower Americans' tax burdens, make permanent his first administration's tax cuts and eliminate taxes on tips. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 26 June 2025

The wealthy are, in part, the very group whose concentrated economic activity has displaced working-class housing and jobs for decades. —Daniel Wortel-London, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025

Noun

The spat between egos pits a conservative president against a rock n’ roll hero of the American working class — a voting bloc with a MAGA element that helped put Trump over the top in 2024. —John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025

Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, spoke onstage nearby earlier, decrying the raids as a swipe at working class L.A. —Andrew Blankstein, NBC news, 6 June 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