Meanings
plural proletariats · alternative proletariate
- MarxismWage 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.
1848 February, Karl Marx; Frederick Engels [i.e., Friedrich Engels], “Bourgeois and Proletarians”, in Samuel Moore, transl., Manifesto of the Communist Party. […], 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: National Executive Committee of the Socialist Labor Party, published 1898, →OCLC, page 27Synonyms: proletarian, proletary, prole · Antonyms: bourgeoisie
- Ancient RomehistoricalThe lowest class of citizens, who had no property and few rights, and were regarded as contributing only their offspring to the state.
Synonyms: proletarian, proletary
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe lowest class of society; also, the lower classes of society generally; the masses.
nounWage 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”).
nounThe lowest class of citizens, who had no property and few rights, and were regarded as contributing only their offspring to the state.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-“to grow, nourish”
- Latinproletārius
- Frenchprolétariat
- Englishproletariat
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.
More words from French, Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans werkersklas
- werkersklaslowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Arabic بْرُولِيتَارِيَا
- بْرُولِيتَارِيَا (broletāriyā)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Bengali সর্বহারা
- সর্বহারা (śorbohara)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Bulgarian пролетариа́т
- пролетариа́т (proletariát)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Catalan proletariat
- proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Chinese Mandarin 普罗列塔利亚特, 普羅列塔利亞 /普罗列塔利亚
- 普罗列塔利亚特 (pǔluóliètǎlìyàtè)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- 普羅列塔利亞 /普罗列塔利亚 (pǔluóliètǎlìyà)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- 無產階級 /无产阶级 (wúchǎnjiējí)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- 普羅列塔利亞特 /普罗列塔利亚特lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- 工薪阶级 (gōngxīnjiējí)wage-earners collectively
Czech proletariát
- proletariátlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Danish proletariat
- proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Dutch proletariaat
- proletariaatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Esperanto proletaro, proletaro
- proletarolowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- proletarowage-earners collectively
- proletarolowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome and elsewhere
Estonian proletariaat, töölisklass
- proletariaatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- töölisklasslowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Finnish proletariaatti, työväenluokka
- proletariaattilowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- työväenluokkalowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- alaluokkalowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- proletariaattiwage-earners collectively
- palkansaajatwage-earners collectively
- proletaaritlowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome and elsewhere
French prolétariat
- prolétariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
German Proletariat, Proletariat
- Proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- Proletariatlowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome and elsewhere
Greek προλεταριάτο, προλεταριάτο
- προλεταριάτο (proletariáto)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- προλεταριάτο (proletariáto)wage-earners collectively
Hindi सर्वहारा
- सर्वहारा (sarvahārā)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Icelandic öreigastétt, öreigar
- öreigastéttlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- öreigarwage-earners collectively
Indonesian proletariat, proletariat
- proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- proletariatwage-earners collectively
Italian proletariato
- proletariatolowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Japanese 無産階級, プロレタリアート
- 無産階級 (musankaikyū)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- プロレタリアート (puroretariāto)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Korean 프롤레타리아, 프롤레타리아트
- 프롤레타리아 (peurolletaria)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- 프롤레타리아트 (peurolletariateu)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- 무산계급 (musan'gyegeup)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Latvian proletariāts
- proletariātslowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Lithuanian proletariatas
- proletariataslowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Malay proletariat
- proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Norwegian Bokmål proletariat
- proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Persian پرولتاریا
- پرولتاریا (poroletâriyâ)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Polish proletariat, proletariat
- proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- proletariatwage-earners collectively
- proletariatlowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome and elsewhere
Portuguese proletariado, proletariado
- proletariadolowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- proletariadowage-earners collectively
- proletariadolowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome and elsewhere
Romanian proletariat
- proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Russian пролетариа́т, пролетариа́т
- пролетариа́т (proletariát)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- пролетариа́т (proletariát)wage-earners collectively
- пролетариа́т (proletariát)lowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome and elsewhere
Scottish Gaelic mòr-sluagh
- mòr-sluaghlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Slovak proletariát
- proletariátlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Spanish proletariado
- proletariadolowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Swedish proletariat, proletariat
- proletariatlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- proletariatwage-earners collectively
- proletariatlowest class of citizens in Ancient Rome and elsewhere
Thai กรรมาชีพ, ชนชั้นกรรมาชีพ
- กรรมาชีพ (gam-maa-chîip)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- ชนชั้นกรรมาชีพ (chon-chán gam-maa-chîip)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Ukrainian пролетаріа́т, пролетаріа́т
- пролетаріа́т (proletariát)lowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
- пролетаріа́т (proletariát)wage-earners collectively
Vietnamese giai cấp vô sản
- giai cấp vô sảnlowest class of society; lower classes of society generally
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
proletariat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proletariat
“proletariat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proletariat. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “proletariat,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proletariat.
Source: proletariat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.