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
Their butler, Adams, is a proletariat.
—
Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022
Because the exploited—the proletariat—have nothing to fall back on, nowhere further to sink, their liberation would be the liberation of history from class struggle.
—James Robins, The New Republic, 19 Jan. 2023
Now a college degree is the most reliable indicator of Democratic preference; the proletariat is dependably Republican.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2023
The numerically ascending service proletariat is frankly irrelevant in setting the terms of debate in our polity.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2013
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Wayne Catan, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2022
Because the exploited—the proletariat—have nothing to fall back on, nowhere further to sink, their liberation would be the liberation of history from class struggle.
—James Robins, The New Republic, 19 Jan. 2023
Now a college degree is the most reliable indicator of Democratic preference; the proletariat is dependably Republican.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2023
The numerically ascending service proletariat is frankly irrelevant in setting the terms of debate in our polity.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2013
See All Example Sentences for proletariat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proletariat
Noun
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In contrast to the anti-immigrant rhetoric emanating from the White House, the survey of 800 California voters portrays a populace that values the contributions of immigrants, regardless of legal status, and believes their well-being is intertwined with a well-functioning state.—
Rebecca Plevin,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Their exodus leaves behind a populace that, like in the Weimar Republic, dismisses each authoritarian advance as temporary, necessary—or even more astonishing, somehow contained.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There was little-to-no doubt Jurgen Klopp’s side were going to defeat Ralf Rangnick’s under-interim-management rabble that day.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement From start to finish, pure madness, amid a rabble that never calmed, never quieted, never quit.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Oct. 2024
Noun
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In Weill’s opinion, composers educated in the classical tradition had lost touch with the broader public and sunk into obscurantism.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
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Given the isolationist tendencies of the U.S. public and Congress in the pre-war years—best exemplified by passage of the neutrality laws in the mid 1930s—Roosevelt’s ability to counter the economic autarky and expansionist aims of fascist Germany, Italy, and Japan was severely limited.—
Time,
Time,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Kansas City Star 816-234-4431 Eric Adler, at The Star since 1985, has the luxury of writing about any topic or anyone, focusing on in-depth stories about people at both the center and on the fringes of the news.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
15 Apr. 2025
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The storm wrecked more than 200 ships, killed over 700 people, and shocked a nation reliant on the sea for its economic and military strength.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proletariat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proletariat. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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