underclass

[ uhn-der-klas, -klahs ]

/ ˈʌn dərˌklæs, -ˌklɑs /

noun

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

Nearby words

Origin of underclass

First recorded in 1915–20; under- + class

Usage note

See collective noun.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for underclass

Reactions to both events are driven by ignorance, disregard, and dehumanization of an underclass of people of color.
Ferguson, Immigration, and ‘Us Vs. Them’|Gene Robinson|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dig down, and we know why our dark and twisted fantasies of a suffering, angry American underclass have finally come true.
The Real Nightmare of Ferguson|James Poulos|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was music from the underclass, the language of rent parties and cotton fields.
The Stacks: How Leonard Chess Helped Make Muddy Waters|Alex Belth|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, in Losing Ground, Murray boldly inverted the argument to explain the rise of an underclass.
Answering a Murray Defender|David Frum|February 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The right has never understood that you run in states, and the underclass votes in critical states.
House Republicans Hold Their Noses About Mitt Romney|John Batchelor|November 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It is not large enough to accommodate all of the students, and the underclass men attend mass elsewhere.
One Irish Summer|William Eleroy Curtis
The goal of building the middle class and shrinking the underclass is also why I believe that you should raise the minimum wage.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various

British Dictionary definitions for underclass

underclass

/ (ˈʌndəˌklɑːs) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for underclass

underclass

"subordinate social class," 1894, from under (adj.) + class (n.). A loan-translation of Swedish underklass.