precariat

American  

[pri-kair-ee-uht] / prɪˈkɛər i ət /

noun

1. the class of people whose income is so irregular or insecure as to adversely affect both their material and psychological well-being.

   Once a corporate executive, now a struggling freelancer, he was wholly unprepared to join the precariat.

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Etymology

Origin of precariat

First recorded in 1955–60; blend of precar(ious) ( def. ) and (proletar)iat ( def. ); see salariat ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

precariat

Antwacky, apoliticism, Beemer, beerfest, energy vampire, energy-dense, fictionality, GERD, hip-hoppy, hip-pop, imposter syndrome, Jumbotron, precariat, self fashioning, script doctor, teenagery, untogetherness, walkative, whataboutism, yessir and zeitgeisty.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 21, 2018

Another example is what Quart terms “1% TV”: fantasy narratives about the uber-rich that give the middle precariat a sense of continuity in a time of instability.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 20, 2018

Millennials make up a large part of what development economist Guy Standing calls the precariat: a class “characterized by chronic uncertainty and insecurity.”

From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2016

“You’re getting a huge growth of the precariat, and more people feeling they could join it at any stage,” he said.

From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2015

But go into a café where the precariat gather to work, and it’s little silver and white laptops covering all the reclaimed-wood tables.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2012