prole

[prohl, proh-lee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prole ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Informal.

a member of the proletariat.

a person who performs routine tasks in a society.

adjective

proletarian(def 1).

Origin of prole

First recorded in 1885–90; shortened form of proletariat

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

Related Words for proles

proletariat, workfolk, workpeople

Examples from the Web for proles

Contemporary Examples of proles

Compare Nineteen Eighty-Four, p. 72, ‘If there is hope, wrote Winston, it lies in the proles.’
George Orwell’s Letter on Why He Wrote ‘1984’
George Orwell
August 12, 2013

Historical Examples of proles

Heinrici 169; Muricipis proles cito discit prendere mures, id.
Selections from Early Middle English 1130-1250: Part II: Notes
Various
Sic, macte Proles Neptunia novisque honoribus hanc gentem nostram cumula, male coepisti, si hic sistas.
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Vol II
Edward Luther Stevenson
The word proletariat, from proles, means first of all, having many children (Vielkinderei)!
Principles of Political Economy, Vol. II
William Roscher

British Dictionary definitions for proles

prole

noun, adjective

derogatory, slang, mainly British short for proletarian

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 proles

"offspring," 1670s, from Latin proles "offspring, progeny" (see prolific).

prole

short for proletarian (n.), 1887 (G.B. Shaw); popularized by George Orwell's 1949 novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four." As an adjective from 1938. Related: Proly (adj.); prolier-than-thou.