caste system
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of caste system
First recorded in 1810–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
White working-class and precarious middle-class voters were alarmed not only at the upending of the racial caste system but also at what they saw as an unraveling of society in general.
From Salon • May 6, 2026
It’s not a caste system where only undocumented people do some things and only documented people or citizens do others.
From Slate • Sep. 15, 2025
Hollywood, after all, has its own hierarchies — its own caste system, if you will.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2024
Those at the lowest strata of the caste system, known as Dalits, have been pushing for legal protections in California and beyond.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 2023
"We're not in Bengal anymore. There's no caste system in America. The Declaration of Independence made it clear: 'All men are created equal.' And we'll be changing 'men' to 'people' soon."
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
