ascribed status

American

noun

Sociology.

the social position assigned to a person on the basis of kinship, ethnic group, gender, etc.

First recorded in 1965–70

How does ascribed-status compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“What is crucial is you must earn your life through meritocracy instead of enjoying an ascribed status based on ancestral position.”

From Reuters

Ms. Johnson tried to play down her ascribed status.“I know who you are,” he replied.

From New York Times

Social status on this frontier depended more upon achieved status than ascribed status.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023