Definition

Adjective: * Owning land or securities as a principal source of revenue: Describing a person, group, or class whose primary income or wealth comes from owning property, such as real estate or financial assets, rather than from wages or a salary.

Usage Examples

• The property-owning class has a significant influence on local housing policies.
• In the 19th century, voting rights were often restricted to property-owning men.
• The new tax law aims to provide relief for middle-income, property-owning families.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in sociological, economic, and political contexts to describe a socioeconomic class. It can be contrasted with terms like "working-class," "tenant," or "proletariat."
  • The conflict between the property-owning bourgeoisie and the industrial working class was a central theme.

Variants and Related Words

• Property owner (noun): A person who owns property.
  • The meeting was attended by local property owners.
• Landowning (adjective): Specifically owning land, often agricultural.
  • The landowning aristocracy held vast estates.

Synonyms

• Properited
• Capital-owning
• Bourgeois (in certain economic contexts)

Antonyms

• Propertyless
• Tenant
• Proletarian

Adjective

1. owning land or securities as a principal source of revenue