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

By 1988, his share rose to 14.4% as working-class voters warmed to his warnings that immigrants were contributing to unemployment and crime. —Ania Nussbaum and Angelina Rascouet Bloomberg News (tns), arkansasonline.com, 8 Jan. 2025

Ian, which barreled onto shore in September 2022, was about wind; ferocious gusts that blew apart houses and snapped the tops off oak trees and prompted residents of this working-class city to rally around a new slogan: #EnglewoodStrong. —Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Jan. 2025

Noun

For those who choose to join a totalitarian party run by billionaires, who would rather make lives harder for seniors, vets, medically vulnerable & working class than pay their share of taxes. —David Faris, Newsweek, 28 Dec. 2024

These parties may still yearn to champion the working class, but this hasn’t been their animating force for decades. —Nate Cohn, New York Times, 25 Dec. 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