lumpen
lumpen — adjective
1. describes a person or group that others view as lacking intelligence and educati
describes a person or group that others view as lacking intelligence and education, and also having no wish to change their situation or learn anything new
The Evening Standard described the factory workers as a lumpen mass unmoved by the new safety law.
collocation: lumpen mass / lumpen masses
Tamar refused to attend the training course, which her manager saw as a lumpen attitude.
lumpen + attitude / lumpen + approach
Senator Nala accused the state government of treating the fishing villages in the Delta as a lumpen underclass.
Chidi found the lumpen behaviour of his classmates frustrating after they mocked the science lecture.
- aspiring
eager to improve oneself
- enlightened
having knowledge and understanding
文法句型
lumpen + noun
intensifier: rather lumpen / most lumpen
用法筆記
Often appears in political or social commentary. Can be offensive if aimed directly at a person because it combines judgments about intelligence with judgments about motivation.
常見錯誤
2. describes an object, a piece of furniture, or a part of the body that is unattra
describes an object, a piece of furniture, or a part of the body that is unattractively large and heavy, making it difficult to move or handle gracefully
Indra moved her lumpen suitcase up the stairs one slow step at a time.
lumpen + heavy object
The old wooden table was beautiful but lumpen, and the movers groaned under its weight.
Vinícius rested his lumpen boots on the stool, mud dripping from the thick soles.
Roya tried to hide her lumpen hands behind her back during the handshake.
The sofa was so lumpen that the delivery team needed three extra people to lift it.
文法句型
lumpen + noun
用法筆記
Always describes physical appearance or build. Never used to describe weight in a neutral or positive tone — the word always implies ugliness or inconvenience.
常見錯誤
lumpen — noun
1. a person who belongs to the lowest social class and is seen by others as rough,
a person who belongs to the lowest social class and is seen by others as rough, uneducated, and uninterested in improving their position in life
In the novel, the character Stefan is a lumpen who sleeps on park benches and begs near the central market.
countable noun: a lumpen
The office staff dismissed Selim as a lumpen because he wore torn trousers and never read the news.
countable noun: dismissed as a lumpen
Professor Ritu warned against dismissing the street vendors of Kolkata as mere lumpens who cannot be helped.
Lukas felt the City Weekly article treated the residents of Elmwood Estate as lumpens with no ambition.
- plebeian
refers to common people in ancient Rome or lower social class; less insulting
- proletarian
working-class person; a neutral or political term without the same contempt
- underclass member
sociological term; more neutral and academic
- intellectual
a person who engages in critical thinking and education
文法句型
the lumpen / a lumpen
用法筆記
Historically drawn from Marx's term Lumpenproletariat (the 'rag-proletariat'). Today it is rare as a standalone noun; the adjective use is more common. Strongly pejorative — avoid using to describe real people directly.