proletariat
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proletariat
- /ˌpɹəʊ.lɪˈtɛə.ɹɪ.ət/ UK
- /ˌpɹoʊ.lɪˈtɛɚ.i.ət/ US
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French prolétariat, from prolétaire + -at, from Latin proletārius, from prōlēt- (“offspring”) + -ārius, from stem of prōlēs, from pro- + *olēs (“growth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to grow, nourish”). By surface analysis, Latin prōlēt- + -ary + -at.
noun proletariats · proletariate
-
The lowest class of society; also, the lower classes of society generally; the masses.
Similar: proletary
-
Wage earners collectively; people who own no capital and depend on their labour for survival; the working class, especially when seen as engaged in a class struggle with the bourgeoisie (“the capital-owning class”).
Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie to-day, the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class. The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of modern industry; the proletariat is its special and essential product.
Similar: proletarian, proletary, prole · Opposite: bourgeoisie
-
The lowest class of citizens, who had no property and few rights, and were regarded as contributing only their offspring to the state.
Similar: proletarian, proletary
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: working class, labor, labour, lumpen, proletarian, working-class, workers, laborers, toilers, plebeians, commoners, masses, populace, rank-and-file, underclass, lower-class
Translations
Every language
noun lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
| Español | proletariado |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 프롤레타리아 peurolletaria, 프롤레타리아트 peurolletariateu, 무산계급 musan'gyegeup |
| 日本語 | 無産階級 musankaikyū, プロレタリアート puroretariāto |
| 中文 | 普罗列塔利亚特 pǔluóliètǎlìyàtè, 普羅列塔利亞 /普罗列塔利亚 pǔluóliètǎlìyà, 無產階級 /无产阶级 wúchǎnjiējí, 普羅列塔利亞特 /普罗列塔利亚特 |
| हिन्दी | सर्वहारा sarvahārā |
| Português | proletariado |
| Français | prolétariat |
| Deutsch | Proletariat |
| Italiano | proletariato |
| Ελληνικά | προλεταριάτο proletariáto |
| Română | proletariat |
| Русский | пролетариа́т proletariát |
| Tiếng Việt | giai cấp vô sản |
| العربية | بْرُولِيتَارِيَا broletāriyā |
noun wage-earners collectively
| 中文 | 工薪阶级 gōngxīnjiējí |
|---|---|
| Português | proletariado |
| Ελληνικά | προλεταριάτο proletariáto |
| Русский | пролетариа́т proletariát |
noun lowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome and elsewhere
| Português | proletariado |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Proletariat |
| Русский | пролетариа́т proletariát |
Talk about this word "proletariat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/proletariat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. proletariat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/proletariat "proletariat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/proletariat.Cite this
@misc{proletariat_2026,
title = {proletariat},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/proletariat},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
