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

Another request is to create a 10-year plan to invest in reaching and turning out young voters, particularly on college campuses, and rebuild the multiracial and poor working-class base in all 50 states. —Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Dec. 2024

Who’s Who is precisely that, with working-class champion Leigh instead taking a rare focus on the upper class. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024

Noun

Trump has been able to channel the intensifying anger of the white working class away from the real causes of working-class distress — away from the big corporations, wealthy individuals, and denizens of Wall Street whose money has rigged the game against average working people. —Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 12 Nov. 2024

Until last week, Democratic Party retained the loyalty of the working classes with the bells and whistles of identity politics. —David Medina, Hartford Courant, 18 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1833, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

working class

noun

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

working-class adjective