upper-middle-class

Thân thiện

A family enjoys a comfortable upper-middle-class lifestyle in their suburban home.

Definition

Adjective: - Occupying the upper part of the middle socioeconomic range in a society. This group typically has high educational attainment, professional or managerial occupations, and a comfortable standard of living, but is not considered part of the wealthiest elite.

Usage

The adjective upper-middle-class is used to describe people, families, households, neighborhoods, lifestyles, values, or incomes that belong to this specific social stratum. It is typically hyphenated when used as a compound adjective before a noun.

Examples

• They live in an upper-middle-class suburb with excellent schools.
• Her parents had upper-middle-class professions; her father was a lawyer and her mother a university professor.
• The study focused on the consumer habits of upper-middle-class families.
• Their income level is solidly upper-middle-class.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used in sociological and economic analyses to discuss trends, mobility, and cultural capital.
• It can sometimes carry connotations related to social attitudes, educational priorities, and consumption patterns distinct from other classes.

Variants and Related Words

• Upper middle class (noun phrase): The social group itself.
  • Members of the upper middle class often prioritize higher education.
• Middle-class (adjective): Describing the broader middle socioeconomic range.
• Professional-managerial class (noun phrase): A related term often overlapping with the upper middle class.

Synonyms

• Affluent (in some contexts, though "affluent" can be broader)
• Well-to-do
• Professional class (as a group)

Antonyms

• Working-class
• Lower-class
• Poverty-stricken

Notes

• "Upper-middle-class" is a specific compound adjective. The related noun phrase is "upper middle class" (often without hyphens).
• Per the critical instruction, this entry explains only the hyphenated adjective form upper-middle-class. The noun phrase "upper middle class" and other compounds are listed separately under 'Variants and Related Words'.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. occupying the upper part of the middle socioeconomic range in a society