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

“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

Nearly two decades earlier, Rudy Giuliani campaigned from the other direction, railing against the “squeegee men” underclass.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

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

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2024

Chris Evans, Captain America himself, stars as the leader of the underclass, who foments a revolution that results in disturbing revelations about those around them.

From New York Times • Jan. 31, 2024

Javi was already there, all the way across the room, near the podium, and already holding court with a few underclass students.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely