proletariat

American  

[proh-li-tair-ee-uht] / ˌproʊ lɪˈtɛər i ət /

noun

1. Usually the proletariat in Marxist theory, the class made up of workers, especially industrial wage earners, who do not possess capital or property and must sell their labor to those who do in order to survive.

   The call of the proletariat is to overthrow the capitalist mode of production and finally abolish the whole class structure.

   A dictatorship of the proletariat is the first stage of the revolution.

2. Usually the proletariat the class made up of wage earners, especially unskilled or semiskilled workers who earn their living by manual labor, often dependent on daily or casual employment and typically having low levels of education and disposable income; the working class.

3. the lowest or poorest class of people, possessing no property, especially in ancient Rome.

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proletariat British  

/ ˌprəʊlɪˈtɛərɪət /

noun

1. all wage-earners collectively

2. the lower or working class

3. (in Marxist theory) the class of wage-earners, esp industrial workers, in a capitalist society, whose only possession of significant material value is their labour

4. (in ancient Rome) the lowest class of citizens, who had no property

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proletariat ¹ Cultural  

1. A term often applied to industrial workers, particularly by followers of Karl Marx (see also Marx).

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proletariat ² Cultural  

1. In Marxism, the industrial working class, people without property.

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Other Word Forms

• nonproletariat noun
• proletarian adjective

Etymology

Origin of proletariat

First recorded in 1850–55; from French prolétariat; equivalent to proletary + -ate ³

Compare meaning

How does proletariat compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• proletariat vs. bourgeoisie

Explanation

Proletariat is an old term for the working class. It was commonly used by Marxists and other people who believed that capitalism had created a class of workers who were exploited by company owners. They called those owners "the bourgeoisie." When you use the word proletariat now, your audience might assume that you've arrived in a time machine from the 19th century and you're still angry about the exploitation of workers. So you probably would use the term self-consciously or humorously, as in “The boss just sent around a memo saying no one’s allowed to leave until we’ve finished compiling the report. I guess the proletariat had better forget about making it home in time to watch the kick-off.”

Example Sentences

Even as employers complain about a dearth of qualified workers, a growing college-educated proletariat can’t find jobs they want to work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

Perhaps I had joined the ranks of the global internet proletariat, hammering clicks on the abstracted factory floor of the future?

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2025

Ylfa’s sauce enthusiasm addresses class disparity, the suppression of the proletariat, egomania and how food can unite people and tear them apart.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2025

Others decided to sell their neglected farms and move their families to the expanding city of Rome, where they joined the growing ranks of the landless working class known as the proletariat.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

And the Ministry had not only to supply the multifarious needs of the Party, but also to repeat the whole operation at a lower level for the benefit of the proletariat.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Related Words

• lower class