Lumpenproletariat

Pronunciation

• IPA: /lɐmpÉ™nproÊŠləˈtɛɹiÉ™t/

Origin

Borrowed from German Lumpenproletariat, which is Lumpen ("rag") + French prolétariat, from Latin proletarius, the lowest class of Roman citizen.

Full definition of lumpenproletariat

Noun

1. (Marxism) the lowest stratum of the proletariat
2. a social underclass; the riffraff

Related terms

• lumpenintelligentsia

Synonyms

• (riffraff) hoi polloi, mob, rabble, riffraff