lumpenproletariat

[ luhm-puh n-proh-li-tair-ee-uh t ]

/ ˈlʌm pənˌproʊ lɪˈtɛər i ət /

noun (sometimes initial capital letter) (esp. in Marxist theory)

the lowest level of the proletariat comprising unskilled workers, vagrants, and criminals and characterized by a lack of class identification and solidarity.

Nearby words

lump of sugar, lump sum, lumpectomy, lumpen, lumpenprole, lumpenproletariat, lumper, lumpfish, lumpish, lumpsucker, lumpy

Origin of lumpenproletariat

1920–25; < German (Marx, 1850), equivalent to Lumpen rag or Lumpen-, combining form of Lump ragamuffin + Proletariat proletariat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for lumpenproletariat

lumpenproletariat

/ (ˌlʌmpənˌprəʊlɪˈtɛərɪət) /

noun

(esp in Marxist theory) the amorphous urban social group below the proletariat, consisting of criminals, tramps, etc

Word Origin for lumpenproletariat

German, literally: ragged proletariat

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lumpenproletariat

lumpenproletariat

1897, from German Lumpenproletariat (1850), from Karl Marx, who coined it to mean "rabble, poorest of the working class," from German lump "ragamuffin" + proletariat. Secondary sense of "boorish, stupid people" led to lumpen- being taken as a suffix meaning "unenlightened."