leisure class

Cultural  

1. The rich, so called because they can afford not to work. The term was made current by the economist Thorstein Veblen in his book The Theory of the Leisure Class.

---

Example Sentences

The expanding leisure class of the late 19th century was, as Fischer writes, “driven to consume, eager for diversion and entertainment.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2022

Pacifico’s follow-up, “Class,” took on the hipster millennials of Italy’s leisure class, their bank accounts padded by regular cash transfers from their parents, their self-regard padded by the status symbols those transfers afford.

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2021

Gillespie said the rule is "kind of a holdover from the leisure class."

From Fox News • Sep. 6, 2021

What did the members of the leisure class actually do with their time and money?

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2019

A jungle yields no abundance to feed the multitudes, and supports no leisure class.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• affluent
• upscale
• wealthy
• well-heeled
• well-off
• well-to-do