Phrase guide

ruling class

noun · 2 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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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The social class within a society that holds dominant power and controls its main institutions, especially those linked to the economy, politics, and the military.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, human-sciences, politics, sciences, social-science, sociology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the class of people exerting power or authority

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: people in power

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: upper class, upper crust

History

Etymology

From ruling + class. First use appears c. 1653.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: hakim sinif — social class
  • Azerbaijani: ağa sinif — social class
  • Chinese Mandarin: 統治階級 /统治阶级 (tǒngzhì jiēj) — social class
  • Finnish: hallitseva luokka — social class
  • French: classe dirigeante — social class
  • Georgian: მმართველი კლასი (mmartveli ḳlasi) — social class
  • Greek: άρχουσα τάξη (árchousa táxi) — social class
  • Indonesian: kelas penguasa — social class
  • Indonesian: kelas berkuasa — social class
  • Malay: kelas pemerintah — social class
  • Malay: golongan pemerintah — social class
  • Russian: пра́вящий класс (právjaščij klass) — social class
  • Spanish: clase dirigente — social class
  • Swahili: tabaka tawala — social class
  • Tagalog: naghaharing-uri — social class