proletariat

1. (often derogatory, also figuratively) The lowest class of society; also, the lower classes of society generally; the masses.Synonyms: proletaryalsoderogatoryfigurativelyoften

2. (Marxism) 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”).Examples: "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."Synonyms: proletarian, proletary, proleAntonyms: bourgeoisieMarxism

3. (chiefly Ancient Rome, historical) The lowest class of citizens, who had no property and few rights, and were regarded as contributing only their offspring to the state.Synonyms: proletarian, proletaryAncient-Romehistorical