What does proletary mean?
Proletary is a political and historical term associated with the proletariat, especially with the ideas and conditions of workers under industrial capitalism. As an adjective, it describes the proletariat or matters connected with it, as in proletary movement, proletary demands, and proletary consciousness. As a noun, it denotes a member of the proletariat, although the more familiar term is now proletarian. The word is chiefly found in discussions of Marxist theory, labour history, and the social consequences of industrialisation. It may carry an explicitly political or historical association rather than the broader social emphasis of working-class. In ordinary contemporary speech, proletarian is generally preferred, and the choice of worker or working-class depends on whether the intended emphasis is social, economic, or political.
Relating to the proletariat, working people, or their political and economic interests.
"The lecture focused on the proletary movements of the nineteenth century."
Chiefly historical, Marxist, or scholarly; proletarian is more common in general modern usage.
A member of the proletariat; a proletarian.
"The novel follows a proletary trying to organise his fellow workers."
Now relatively uncommon; proletarian or worker is usually more natural.
The plural is rarely needed in modern usage because the noun itself is uncommon.
"The early Russian novel presents several proletaries confronting the conditions of industrial labour."
Proletary belongs to the vocabulary created as industrialisation turned the condition of workers into a central question of modern politics.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does proletary come from?
Proletary entered English through French prolétaire, ultimately based on Latin proletarius, a word associated with proles, meaning offspring or descendants. In its older usage, the term referred to those whose survival depended on manual labour, and it later acquired a broader political sense within socialist and Marxist vocabulary. Its relatives include proletarian, proletariat, and the French prolétaire, all developed from the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How proletary is actually used
The word is now chiefly historical, political, or scholarly. In general contemporary English, proletarian is usually more natural for the adjective, while worker or working-class may be preferred depending on context.
Easily confused with proletary
Proletarian is the more common modern adjective and noun, whereas proletary is chiefly encountered in historical, Marxist, or scholarly usage.
Proletariat names the social class of workers, while proletary describes something associated with that class and its political interests.