Dictionary

lumpenproletariat en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌlʌm.-/
• /ˌlʊm.pənˌpɹəʊ.ləˈtɛː.ɹi.ət/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from German Lumpenproletariat.

Meanings

1. (Marxism) The lowest stratum of the proletariat, whose mental and physical health, mores and morale have deteriorated, through exploitation by the bourgeoisie, to a degree where they cannot build class consciousness and hence cannot be mobilized for the revolution.
   • For this reason Marx avoided encouraging the facile but false idea that to abolish exploitation meant simply to strip the rich of their movable possessions: this was contrary to his own theory and only served to foster the envious and predatory mentality of peasant movements and the lumpenproletariat. 1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 333:
   • I hadn't quite figured her out yet: rude snob or lumpenproletariat? 2021, Pedro Mairal, The Woman from Uruguay, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 29:
2. A social underclass; the riffraff.

Forms

Relateds

lumpenintelligentsia · lumpenprole · lumpenbourgeoisie

Synonyms

mob (riffraff) · rabble (riffraff) · hoi polloi (riffraff) · riffraff (riffraff)

Translations (29)

cmn 社會底層 /社会底层 (the social underclass, the riffraff) · el λούμπεν προλεταριάτο (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · es lumpenproletariado (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · ja ルンペン (the social underclass, the riffraff) · pa ਲੁੰਪਨ ਪਰੋਲਤਾਰੀ (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · ru лю́мпен-пролетариа́т (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · fr populace (the social underclass, the riffraff) · sh lumpenproletarijat (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · hu lumpenproletariátus (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · vi vô sản lưu manh (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · sk lumpenproletariát (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · es lumpen (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · sv trasproletariat (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · nl lompenproletariaat (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · el κουρελοπρολεταριάτο (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · es lumpemproletariado (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · pt lumpenproletariado (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · cmn 流氓無產階級 /流氓无产阶级 (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · fi ryysyproletariaatti (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · de Lumpenproletariat (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · fr lumpenproletariat (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · ro lumpenproletariat (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · pa ਲਫੰਗ ਪਰੋਲਤਾਰੀ (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · fi roskaväki (the social underclass, the riffraff) · fi ryysyköyhälistö (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · ms proletar hina (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · cmn 遊民無產者 /游民无产者 (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat) · sh lumpenproletarijat (the social underclass, the riffraff) · pl lumpenproletariat (in Marxism: the lowest stratum of the proletariat)