Jump To:

• lower class
  lower class

  noun

  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.
• lower-class
  lower-class

  adjective

  of, relating to, or characteristic of the lower class.

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.

---

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.

---

lower class British  

noun

1. the social stratum having the lowest position in the social hierarchy Compare middle class upper class working class

---

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

"Do you want to make savings from falling pupil numbers, or do you want to maintain spending the way it is, and have lower class sizes?"

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

With shaved head and visible tattoos, Iago is in a lower class than Lucas Iverson’s clean-cut Cassio, fueling Iago’s raging resentment of his rival, chosen by the general Othello to be his second in command.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Alberto Carvalho said the district is prepared to manage the transition without layoffs — and he also pledged improved student support through lower class sizes, additional counselors and increased mental health services.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2023

For people of a lower class, it feels like there is desire to believe a meritocracy does exist.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 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