proletarian

[proh-li-tair-ee-uh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR proletarian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining or belonging to the proletariat.

(in ancient Rome) belonging to the lowest or poorest class of the people.

noun

a member of the proletariat.

Origin of proletarian

First recorded in 1650–60; see origin at proletary, -an

Related formspro·le·tar·i·an·ly, adverbpro·le·tar·i·an·ness, nounhalf-pro·le·tar·i·an, adjectivenon·pro·le·tar·i·an, adjective, noun

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

Related Words for proletarian

humble, miserable, vulgar, petty, accessible, ubiquitous, prevalent, familiar, universal, rampant, public, proletarian, simple, modest, obscure, unassuming, ordinary, unpretentious, employee, trader

Examples from the Web for proletarian

Contemporary Examples of proletarian

Am I going to get a "knock on the door" asking me to explain how Fidel's proletarian paradise knew so much about the Poll Tax?
My Professor, the Spy
Tom Murray
June 9, 2009

Historical Examples of proletarian

These are the only ones to whom the term "proletarian" could with any propriety be applied.
Folkways
William Graham Sumner
He mows down a proletarian and a Marshall Field with the same scythe.
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 2, April 1906
Various
The proletarian beat the table like a drum in praise of Paris.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition
Robert Louis Stevenson
A strike is the only way of impressing the proletarian psychology.
Ghetto Comedies
Israel Zangwill
You cannot possibly comprehend the proletarian civilization of the future.
The Quest
Frederik van Eeden

British Dictionary definitions for proletarian

proletarian

less commonly proletary (ˈprəʊlɪtərɪ, -trɪ)

adjective

of, relating, or belonging to the proletariat

noun plural -tarians or -taries

a member of the proletariat

Derived Formsproletarianism, nounproletarianness, noun

Word Origin for proletarian

C17: from Latin prōlētārius one whose only contribution to the state was his offspring, from prōlēs offspring

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 proletarian

1650s (n.) "member of the lowest class;" 1660s (adj.) "of the lowest class of people;" with -ian + Latin proletarius "citizen of the lowest class" (as an adjective, "relating to offspring"), in ancient Rome, propertyless people, exempted from taxes and military service, who served the state only by having children; from proles "offspring, progeny" (see prolific).