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• poor white
  poor white

  noun

  a member of a class of white people, especially of the southern U.S., having low social status and little or no money, property, or education.
• poor White
  poor White

  noun

poor white

American  

noun

Usually Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a member of a class of white people, especially of the southern U.S., having low social status and little or no money, property, or education.

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poor White British  

noun

1. offensive

   1. a poverty-stricken and underprivileged White person, esp in the southern US and South Africa

   2. ( as modifier )

      poor White trash

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Etymology

Origin of poor white

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20

Example Sentences

It tells the story of a poor white Southerner during the last year of the Civil War.

From Salon • Aug. 12, 2023

I think what this documentary reveals to people who may not know is that poor white folks in Appalachia and poor Black and brown folks in South Los Angeles are going through very similar problems.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2023

“John is for the people, and it doesn’t matter if you’re rich, poor, white, Black.”

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2022

He wrote the bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy,” which touches on the abandonment of poor white people — even though he has a law degree from Yale and worked as a venture capitalist.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2022

Not only did C.P. represent many of Durham’s poor white residents but his son Timmy attended Hillside High School, the school with the greatest racial problems in the city.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson