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. ); salariat ( def. )

Example Sentences

The art business puts the precariat and the bourgeoisie in proximity, which can certainly breed resentment.

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2023

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

“Freelancer” or “entrepreneur” are other sanitising synonyms for today’s precariat.

From The Guardian • Apr. 4, 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

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