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déclassé

American  
[day-kla-say, -klah-, day-klah-say] / ˌdeɪ klæˈseɪ, -klɑ-, deɪ klɑˈseɪ /

adjective

  1. reduced to or having low or lower status.

    a once-chic restaurant that had become completely déclassé.

  2. reduced or belonging to a lower or low social class, position, or rank.


déclassé British  
/ deklɑse /

adjective

  1. Also (feminine): déclassée. having lost social standing or status

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of déclassé

1885–1890; < French, past participle of déclasser. See de-, class


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.

See Examples For:

By elevating quotidian subject matter to a sublime frenzy of saturated hues, he established color photography as an art form during the 1960s and ’70s, when it had been dismissed as déclassé.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

She’s a remnant of a déclassé life that Simone wants to leave behind.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025

How a cut once deemed déclassé is now at the forefront of chicness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2023

As prevalent as garlic is in American cooking today, for much of the 20th century it was considered an exotic, even déclassé, ingredient.

From New York Times ● Dec. 24, 2022

Mr. Schleusner, who was small and vulgar and déclassé and really knew something about business.

From The Job An American Novel by Sinclair Lewis

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