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lumpenproletariat


Definition of lumpenproletariat

noun

[treated as singular or plural]
  • (especially in Marxist terminology) the unorganized and unpolitical lower orders of society who are not interested in revolutionary advancement.

Origin:

1920s: from German (a term originally used by Karl Marx), from Lumpen 'rag, rogue' + proletariat

lumpenproletariat in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lumpenproletariat in the US English dictionary