classlessness
classlessness — noun
1. a situation in a society where people are not divided into different social clas
a situation in a society where people are not divided into different social classes based on wealth, family background, or job.
Tuan wrote his dissertation on whether modern technology could bring about true classlessness.
collocation: bring about classlessness
Many 20th-century activists dreamed of a society built on classlessness and equal opportunity.
collocation: dream of / built on classlessness
The anthropologist argued that no large, complex society has ever achieved complete classlessness.
Rin's research paper examined whether online communities could create a new kind of classlessness.
- egalitarianism
broader concept that includes class equality as one part
- social equality
more general; refers to equal rights/opportunities across all dimensions, not just class
- equality
broader and more common; can refer to any kind of sameness
- inequality
the opposite condition where social classes exist and differ in wealth and power
- class division
more concrete; names the divisions themselves rather than the abstract state
用法筆記
This sense refers to the abstract quality of a social system, not an individual's personal experience. It is most common in political theory and sociology.
常見錯誤
2. the feeling or situation of not fitting neatly into any one social class because
the feeling or situation of not fitting neatly into any one social class because your income, education, or personal habits do not clearly match one group.
After growing up poor and becoming a lawyer, Stefan felt a strange sense of classlessness.
sense of classlessness (personal)
Reema's classlessness made it hard for her to fit in with any single income group.
The author described the strange classlessness of online friendships, where nobody knows your real background.
Lisa enjoyed the classlessness of the hostel community, where every traveller was simply a traveller.
- social ambiguity
more general; can apply to any unclear social standing
- class fluidity
suggests movement between classes rather than fitting none
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (NO SOCIAL CLASSES): sense 1 describes a society without class divisions; this sense describes an individual's ambiguous class position within a society that still has classes.
常見錯誤
classlessness — adjective
- classlessnesspositive
- more classlessnesscomparative
- most classlessnesssuperlative
1. not clearly belonging to any particular social class; used to describe a person
not clearly belonging to any particular social class; used to describe a person whose background, job, or way of life does not fit neatly into one social group.
Kwame called himself classless — his father worked in a factory yet he grew up among wealthy kids.
describing oneself as classless
The characters in Sivan's novel are deliberately classless; readers never learn their jobs or incomes.
deliberately classless
Mira found her accent was classless — people could never guess what neighbourhood she came from.
Darius dressed in a classless way — plain jeans and a shirt hiding his background.
- unclassifiable
stronger; suggests it is impossible to assign a class
- middle-of-the-road
informal; suggests average rather than outside the system
- upper-class
belonging to the highest social class
- working-class
belonging to the lowest social class
2. describing a society, organisation, or situation where differences in social cla
describing a society, organisation, or situation where differences in social class are not recognised or do not matter.
The farming cooperative was a classless community where everyone shared the work and profits.
classless community
Constanza believed a classless society needed free and equal education for all children.
classless society
Nellie's school created a classless atmosphere with a uniform policy and shared lunch tables for everyone.
In a classless system, a farmer's child and a judge's child would have the same school and career chances.
- egalitarian
more common; specifically describes a belief in equality, not just an arrangement
- equal
broader; not specifically about social class
- hierarchical
describes a system with clear levels of rank or class
- stratified
technical term for a society divided into layers