as in masses
people looked down upon as ignorant and of the lowest class
the Bolsheviks believed that Russia's discontented proletariat made that nation ripe for revolution
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Recent Examples of proletariat
As is the case with the aesthetics of people, exquisite lines can be found on patrician and proletariat cars alike.
—
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025
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
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
Their butler, Adams, is a proletariat.
—Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2025
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
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
Their butler, Adams, is a proletariat.
—Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proletariat
Noun
-
Morgan State’s work in benchmarking AI in diverse contexts is helping build more robust, reliable systems that better reflect — and serve — the full breadth of the populace.—
Deborah Wince-Smith,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
This spring and summer, an interactive exhibit in Oakland will unleash a whole menagerie of cool dinosaurs upon the populace — turkey-sized velociraptors, spiky stegosaurs and of course big ol T-rex itself.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
20 May 2026
Noun
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In her cell, surrounded by her fellow rabble-rousing women, Deborah works the room.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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How dare the lowly rabble at Fenway Park treat our esteemed mayor and governor with such disrespect!—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But Chelsea also want to add more maturity and leadership to their squad and, in that sense, Fernandez’s disciplinary record and his decision to air some of his complaints in public could count against him.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
To be ill in public was disgraceful, an affront.—
Tom Levenson,
Time,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Proletariat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proletariat. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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