underclass

American  

[uhn-der-klas, -klahs] / ˈʌn dərˌklæs, -ˌklɑs /

noun

1. a social stratum consisting of impoverished persons with very low social status.

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underclass British  

/ ˈʌndəˌklɑːs /

noun

1. a class beneath the usual social scale consisting of the most disadvantaged people, such as the unemployed in inner cities

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Grammar

See collective noun.

Etymology

Origin of underclass

First recorded in 1915–20; under- + class

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

underclass

The Framers of the 14th Amendment sought to ensure that the United States would never again tolerate an underclass of people denied full equality by accident of birth.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026

She is best known for the Noughts & Crosses series, which explores the divide between a black elite and a white underclass in a dystopian London.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Still, workers clearly have some time before AI relegates them to the permanent underclass.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

“Call you outcast, low down, you can’t make it, you’re nothing, you’re from nobody, subclass, underclass; when you see Jesse Jackson, when my name goes in nomination, your name goes in nomination.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026

Among these song types are hundreds that lament the burden and misery of underclass life, as became the standard Blues format.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall