underclass

[uhn-der-klas, -klahs]

noun

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

underclass

/ ˈʌndəˌklɑːs /

noun

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

Grammar Note

See collective noun.

Word History and Origins

Origin of underclass¹

First recorded in 1915–20; under- + class

Example Sentences

“But again, the freeways are fundamental structures that divided the city and created all kinds of underclasses, which really affected lots of people of color and lots of people who were working class.”

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There are the “winners” in this increasingly stratified society who can move into formerly working-class, poor, and underclass communities and buy/rent property.

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The book explores his firsthand experience of the poverty and addiction of a rural underclass, while offering a glimpse into the Vances' relationship.

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I will secure and defend our borders — but I will also stop consigning many who are here to a permanent underclass.

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"It was an era when women were still the underclass in the working world," Natacha said.

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