Phrase guide

middle class

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A social and economic class lying above the working class and below the upper class.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: middling class, middling sort

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The groups in society composed of professionals, semi-professionals, and lower to middle managerial level workers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the social class between the lower and upper classes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bourgeoisie

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: class, stratum, social class, socio-economic class

Narrower terms: petit bourgeois, petite bourgeoisie, petty bourgeoisie

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: middelklas — social and economic class
  • Arabic: طَبَقَة وُسْطَى (ṭabaqa wusṭā) — social and economic class
  • Arabic: طبقة متوسطة (ṭabaʔa mitwassṭa) — social and economic class
  • Armenian: միջին խավ (miǰin xav) — social and economic class
  • Belarusian: сярэ́дні клас (sjarédni klas) — social and economic class
  • Bulgarian: сре́дна кла́са (srédna klása) — social and economic class
  • Chinese Mandarin: 中產階級 /中产阶级 (zhōngchǎn jiējí) — social and economic class
  • Czech: střední třída — social and economic class
  • Danish: middelklasse — social and economic class
  • Dutch: middenklasse — social and economic class
  • Finnish: keskiluokka — social and economic class
  • French: classe moyenne — social and economic class
  • Galician: clase media — social and economic class
  • Georgian: საშუალო კლასი (sašualo ḳlasi) — social and economic class
  • Georgian: საშუალო ფენა (sašualo pena) — social and economic class
  • German: Mittelschicht — social and economic class
  • German: Mittelklasse — social and economic class
  • Greek: αστική τάξη (astikí táxi) — social and economic class
  • Haitian Creole: klas mwayèn — social and economic class
  • Hindi: मध्यवर्ग (madhyavarg) — social and economic class
  • Hungarian: középosztály — social and economic class
  • Hungarian: polgárság — social and economic class
  • Irish: meánaicme — social and economic class
  • Japanese: 中産階級 (chūsan kaikyū) — social and economic class
  • Kazakh: орта тап (orta tap) — social and economic class
  • Khmer: ថ្នាក់កណ្ដាល (thnak kɑɑkɑndaal) — social and economic class
  • Korean: 중산층 (jungsancheung) — social and economic class
  • Macedonian: средна класа (sredna klasa) — social and economic class
  • Norwegian Bokmål: middelklasse — social and economic class
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: middelklasse — social and economic class
  • Persian: طبقه متوسط (tabaqe-ye motavasset) — social and economic class
  • Polish: klasa średnia — social and economic class
  • Portuguese: classe média — social and economic class
  • Romanian: clasă de mijloc — social and economic class
  • Romanian: clasă mijlocie — social and economic class
  • Romanian: clasă medie — social and economic class
  • Russian: сре́дний класс (srédnij klass) — social and economic class
  • Serbo-Croatian: средња класа — social and economic class
  • Serbo-Croatian: srednja klasa — social and economic class
  • Slovak: stredná trieda — social and economic class
  • Slovene: srednji razred — social and economic class
  • Spanish: clase media — social and economic class
  • Swahili: tabaka la kati — social and economic class
  • Swedish: medelklass — social and economic class
  • Tagalog: panggitnang uri — social and economic class
  • Tagalog: panggitnang na klase — social and economic class
  • Telugu: మద్య తరగతి (madya taragati) — social and economic class
  • Thai: ชนชั้นกลาง — social and economic class
  • Turkish: orta sınıf — social and economic class
  • Ukrainian: сере́дній клас (serédnij klas) — social and economic class
  • Welsh: dosbarth canol — social and economic class
  • Yoruba: kò-là-kò-ṣagbe — social and economic class