lower class

¹ American  

[loh-er] / ˈloʊ ər /

noun

1. a class of people below the middle class, having the lowest social rank or standing due to low income, lack of skills or education, and the like.

2. (broadly) working class.

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lower-class ² American  

[loh-er-klas, -klahs] / ˈloʊ ərˈklæs, -ˈklɑs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the lower class.

   lower-class values.

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lower class British  

noun

1. the social stratum having the lowest position in the social hierarchy Compare middle class upper class working class

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adjective

1. of or relating to the lower class

2. inferior or vulgar

Etymology

Origin of lower class¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Origin of lower-class¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

It also found that consumers who identified as upper class are nearly twice as satisfied with resolution outcomes compared with those in the middle, working, and lower classes.

From The Wall Street Journal

"For the first time it was the Kenyan people - the working class and the middle class and the lower class - against the ruling class," says Mwangi.

From BBC

Xocolatl “was mostly an upper-class extravagance, although the lower classes enjoyed it occasionally at weddings or other celebrations,” according to History.

From Salon

Lavin was the grandchild of Russian immigrants, and in later years she often played variations on the Jewish mother — lower class, middle class, upper class.

From Los Angeles Times

"Before then, Americans were typically more likely to self-identify as members of the middle or upper-middle class and less likely to say they belonged to the working or lower class."

From Salon

Related Words

• proletariat
• working class