middle class

/ˌˈmɪdl ˌklæs/

/ˈmɪdəl klɑs/

Other forms: middle classes

The middle class is a socioeconomic group of working people who aren't wealthy, but make enough money to live fairly comfortably. In the U.S., most people are part of the middle class.

While most of the ancient world tended to have two distinct classes, nobility and workers, modern industrialized societies also have a middle class. The definition of this economic group is a little vague: people in the middle class work for a living and aren't rich, but they're not poor and struggling to survive. Although about 60 percent of Americans fall somewhere into the middle class, the wealthiest one percent has far more money than they do.

Definitions of middle class

1. noun

   the social class between the lower and upper classes
   synonyms: bourgeoisie

   types:

   petit bourgeois, petite bourgeoisie, petty bourgeoisie

   lower middle class (shopkeepers and clerical staff etc.)

   type of:

   class, social class, socio-economic class, stratum

   people having the same social, economic, or educational status