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

The Harris campaign played up Walz's working-class roots, background in the National Guard and experiences as a school teacher and football coach in the 2024 election won by President Donald Trump. —Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025

On The Undoing, the murder of a working-class mother whose child attends a fancy Upper East Side private school exposes the double life of a respected local physician. —Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025

Noun

The outer borough working class, not the Manhattan elite, will decide the winner and that’s the coalition of Cuomo’s electoral successes again and again. —Bradley Honan, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2025

Where has all the money gone, if not to the American middle and working class? —John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025

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