What does "middle-class" mean?

Occupying a position between the upper class and the working class.

What is a synonym for "middle-class"?

Common synonyms include: average, bourgeois, common, commonplace, conventional, garden.

Middle-class

adj

adj ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1
Occupying a position between the upper class and the working class.
2
Characteristic of the middle class(es); reflective of that class's values and aspirations. Commonly associated with a desire for social respectability and an emphasis on family values and education.

Adjective

1
occupying a socioeconomic position intermediate between those of the lower classes and the wealthy wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

average bourgeois common commonplace conventional garden

Antonyms

All antonyms

lower-class upper-class

Example

More examples

"However, like America, Japan is predominantly a middle-class, middle-income country, and so wives do not employ maids, but attend to everything themselves."

Related phrases

middle-classness

More for "middle-class"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.