underclass

un·der·class

U u

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [uhn-der-klas, -klahs]
- /ˈʌn dərˌklæs, -ˌklɑs/
- /ˈʌn.də.klɑːs/

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

Definitions of underclass word

noun underclass a social stratum consisting of impoverished persons with very low social status. 1
noun underclass poor people 1
countable noun underclass A country's underclass consists of those members of its population who are poor, and who have little chance of improving their situation. 0
noun underclass a class beneath the usual social scale consisting of the most disadvantaged people, such as the unemployed in inner cities 0
noun underclass the socioeconomic class with incomes below subsistence level, including esp. the underprivileged 0
noun underclass the poorest class of people in a given society. 0

See all 6 definitions of underclass

Information block about the term

Origin of underclass

First appearance:

before 1915

One of the 14% newest English words

First recorded in 1915-20; under- + class

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Underclass

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Underclass

underclass popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 65% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

underclass usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for underclass

noun underclass

disadvantaged — lacking the normal or usual necessities and comforts of life, as proper housing, educational opportunities, job security, adequate medical care, etc.: The government extends help to disadvantaged minorities.

Just one Synonym for underclass