second-class citizen

American  

noun

1. a citizen, especially a member of a minority group, who is denied the social, political, and economic benefits of citizenship.

2. a person who is not accorded a fair share of respect, recognition, or consideration.

   The boss treats us all like second-class citizens.

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second-class citizen British  

noun

1. a person whose rights and opportunities are treated as less important than those of other people in the same society

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

second-class citizen

Clemente refused to be treated like a second-class citizen, and he demanded the same mindset from his Black teammates.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 26, 2022

Now, as we approach the Oscars’100th year, we are deeply troubled that this gold standard is being tarnished by valuing some filmmaking disciplines over others and relegating those others to the status of second-class citizen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2022

Yet, even though he has tasted normality, even though he has survived his many nightmares, he is drawn again to the danger of a trade in which normality is not even a second-class citizen.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 3, 2020

The brunt of many classical music in-jokes, the viola has long been relegated to second-class citizen of the string section.

From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2019

But it wasn’t so long ago that Team USA had become a second-class citizen in the basketball world.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 30, 2018