proletariat
noun
pro·le·tar·i·at
ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət 
-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
Synonyms
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
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 
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proletariat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Proletariat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proletariat. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
proletariat
noun
pro·le·tar·i·at
ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət
-ˈtar-,
-ē-ˌat
1
: the lowest social or economic class of a community
2
: industrial workers who sell their labor to live
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