petty bourgeois
Lower middle class
Petty bourgeois describes the lower middle class—small business owners, shopkeepers, independent craftspeople—who own some property but work it themselves rather than employing significant labor.
In Marxist analysis, the petty bourgeoisie occupies an anxious position between capitalists and workers.
The term often carries contempt, suggesting narrow-minded materialism, conformity, and obsession with respectability: His petty bourgeois values made him suspicious of anything unconventional.
Also petit bourgeois.
Small store manager
- self-employedWorking independently, not hired
- tradesmanSkilled manual worker
- artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
- proprietorBusiness holder
white-collar · clerk · striver · entrepreneur · managerial · salaried · nonunion · supervisor
One following accepted norms
- conservativeCautious about altering customs
- provincialRegional or narrow-minded
- parochialNarrow in perspective
- narrow-mindedIntolerant of differing views
insular · small-town · moralistic · individualist · self-reliant · risk-averse · cautious · deferential
Wage laborer, no capital
- lumpenproletariatDegraded non-working poor
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- reactionaryAnti-progress political stance
- vacillatingSwaying between choices
opportunist · reformist · exploitation · alienation · ideological · superstructure · Engels · Marx
Striving toward ideals
- gentrifierOne who displaces poorer residents
- respectabilityMoral and social worthiness
- self-improvementEnhancing oneself deliberately
- credentialismOvervaluing formal qualifications
meritocracy · careerism · striving · status-seeking · pretension
Desiring material gain
- consumeristFocused on acquiring goods
- ostentatiousShowily excessive
- homeownershipLegally possessing residential property
- thriftCareful use of resources
shopkeeper
Small store manager
- self-employedWorking independently, not hired
- tradesmanSkilled manual worker
- artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
proprietor · white-collar · clerk · striver · entrepreneur · managerial · salaried · nonunion · supervisor · declassed
conformist
One following accepted norms
- conservativeCautious about altering customs
- provincialRegional or narrow-minded
- parochialNarrow in perspective
narrow-minded · insular · small-town · moralistic · individualist · self-reliant · risk-averse · cautious · deferential
proletarian
Wage laborer, no capital
- lumpenproletariatDegraded non-working poor
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- reactionaryAnti-progress political stance
vacillating · opportunist · reformist · exploitation · alienation · ideological · superstructure · Engels · Marx
aspirational
Striving toward ideals
- gentrifierOne who displaces poorer residents
- respectabilityMoral and social worthiness
- self-improvementEnhancing oneself deliberately
credentialism · meritocracy · careerism · striving · status-seeking · pretension
acquisitive
Desiring material gain
- consumeristFocused on acquiring goods
- ostentatiousShowily excessive
- homeownershipLegally possessing residential property
petty bourgeoisproletarian
Wage laborer, no capital
working class · lumpenproletariat · capitalist · factory worker · ruling class
petty bourgeoisrevolutionary
Seeking fundamental systemic change
class-conscious · radical · socialist · internationalist · collectivist
petty bourgeoisindustrialist
Major manufacturing business owner
corporate titan · monopolist · venture capitalist · robber baron · captain of industry
petty, bourgeois, pettier, pettiest, pettily, pettiness, bourgeoisie, petit, petite