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-class²

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

“Even if a government job is lower class, it is still prestigious in Bangladesh,” Amin said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

"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 • Apr. 27, 2025

Thompson suggested that food formed part of the "moral economy" and food prices were central to lower class protest in England.

From Salon • Mar. 30, 2023

Leaders also will bargain over how and where to lower class sizes and weigh in on whether to shorten winter break from three weeks to two weeks.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2023

What is key to America’s understanding of class is the persistent belief—despite all evidence to the contrary—that anyone, with the proper discipline and drive, can move from a lower class to a higher class.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• proletariat
• working class