Meaning & use
Proletarian
Last updated
A member of the working class, especially one who earns a living through manual or industrial labor and owns little property or capital.
See it in a sentence
The novel follows a proletarian family struggling to make ends meet in an industrial city.
Marxist theory holds that the proletarian class will eventually overthrow the capitalist system.
A note on using this word
The term derives from the Latin 'proletarius,' originally referring to the lowest class of Roman citizens, who served the state only by producing offspring (proles).
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Relating to or characteristic of the working class.
The mural celebrated proletarian labor and industry.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Proletarian”, then compare your use with the examples above.