: a class occupying a position between the upper class and the lower class
especially
: a fluid heterogeneous socioeconomic grouping composed principally of business and professional people, bureaucrats, and some farmers and skilled workers sharing common social characteristics and values
Examples of middle-class in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024
His remarks reflect a belief that growth stems from the choices made by companies and wealthy investors, whereas Biden is betting on growth flowing out of spending and saving by middle-class households that feel more financially secure.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 10 May 2024
At both shows, the audience seemed to be mostly middle-class Georgians, probably a few years older and a bit more fortunate than most of the protesters, who skewed younger.
—Robert Levine, Billboard, 7 May 2024
Frank Stella was born into a middle-class Italian American family.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 4 May 2024
Beach resort to Roller Coast Cedar Point, owned by Cedar Fair, opened in 1870 on Lake Erie's south shore, a middle-class, bathhouse vacation destination.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2024
For many Americans, especially those with a middle-class income and little savings, the answer to that question is absolutely not.
—Marc Cohen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2024
In fact, across rural America, half of adults now have a job that pays at least middle-class wages, according to a recent Georgetown University report.
—Nick Fouriezos, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024
Like Woods’s weaseling, hustling protagonist Richard Boyle, Stone reveals his ambivalence — feeling moral disgust about other people’s politics, plus middle-class American guilt about his own helplessness.
—Armond White, National Review, 26 Apr. 2024
Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 10 May 2024
In her address at the Brookings Institution, Brainard made a case for higher rates on corporations and the ultra-wealthy in order to support the middle class.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 10 May 2024
The cost of living is particularly pronounced in California where inflation, high interest rates and escalating rents are demoralizing the working and middle classes.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Michelle’s vision was to provide an alternative solution creating a leap-frog effect as people move into the middle class and meat and dairy consumption increases.
—William Mullane, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
For example, Uruguay is a tiny middle class country with just three million people, and its music seldom traveled very far in the CD era.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 8 May 2024
These labor displacements accumulate over time, impacting mostly the lower and middle classes and, in turn, becoming political movements.
—Himanshu Gupta, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
China’s rapid growth over the preceding decades had instilled confidence that an expanding middle class would continue to flex its newfound wealth with lavish spending.
—Claire Fu, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Still, Tmall has lured some labels to participate with promises to divert more traffic their way — hard to resist as the middle class’s appetite for luxury is declining, Roizen added.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 17 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Most middle-class Americans have a large share of their wealth tied up in their homes, making debates about property values even more fraught.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024
His remarks reflect a belief that growth stems from the choices made by companies and wealthy investors, whereas Biden is betting on growth flowing out of spending and saving by middle-class households that feel more financially secure.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 10 May 2024
At both shows, the audience seemed to be mostly middle-class Georgians, probably a few years older and a bit more fortunate than most of the protesters, who skewed younger.
—Robert Levine, Billboard, 7 May 2024
Frank Stella was born into a middle-class Italian American family.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 4 May 2024
Beach resort to Roller Coast Cedar Point, owned by Cedar Fair, opened in 1870 on Lake Erie's south shore, a middle-class, bathhouse vacation destination.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2024
For many Americans, especially those with a middle-class income and little savings, the answer to that question is absolutely not.
—Marc Cohen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2024
In fact, across rural America, half of adults now have a job that pays at least middle-class wages, according to a recent Georgetown University report.
—Nick Fouriezos, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024
Like Woods’s weaseling, hustling protagonist Richard Boyle, Stone reveals his ambivalence — feeling moral disgust about other people’s politics, plus middle-class American guilt about his own helplessness.
—Armond White, National Review, 26 Apr. 2024
Noun
Newsom’s budget proposal would slash scholarships for middle class students by $510 million, leaving $100 million in the program.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 10 May 2024
In her address at the Brookings Institution, Brainard made a case for higher rates on corporations and the ultra-wealthy in order to support the middle class.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 10 May 2024
The cost of living is particularly pronounced in California where inflation, high interest rates and escalating rents are demoralizing the working and middle classes.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Michelle’s vision was to provide an alternative solution creating a leap-frog effect as people move into the middle class and meat and dairy consumption increases.
—William Mullane, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
For example, Uruguay is a tiny middle class country with just three million people, and its music seldom traveled very far in the CD era.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 8 May 2024
These labor displacements accumulate over time, impacting mostly the lower and middle classes and, in turn, becoming political movements.
—Himanshu Gupta, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
China’s rapid growth over the preceding decades had instilled confidence that an expanding middle class would continue to flex its newfound wealth with lavish spending.
—Claire Fu, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Still, Tmall has lured some labels to participate with promises to divert more traffic their way — hard to resist as the middle class’s appetite for luxury is declining, Roizen added.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 17 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'middle-class.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near middle-class
Cite this Entry
“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/middle-class. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
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