underclass

IPA/ˈʌndəklɑːs/
KK[ˈʌndɚklˌæs]IPA/ˈʌndərklæs/

underclass — noun

  • underclasssingular
  • underclassesplural

1. the part of a society made up of the poorest people, who have the least money, p

1.nounC1
Definition

the part of a society made up of the poorest people, who have the least money, power, and chance to improve their lives.

Example

Years of factory closures pushed thousands of families into a growing urban underclass.

collocation: urban underclass / growing underclass

Manuela's study showed how poor schools trap children in the underclass for life.

trap someone in the underclass

Common collocations
  • urban underclass
  • growing underclass
  • permanent underclass
  • trapped in the underclass
Synonyms
  • the poor

    plainer and broader; lacks the idea of being trapped at the bottom of a class system

  • lower class

    a recognised class position, whereas underclass suggests being below or outside the class structure

  • the disadvantaged

    softer, more formal; focuses on lack of opportunity rather than rank

Antonyms
  • elite

    the small group with the most wealth and power

  • upper class

    the richest and highest-status group in a society

Grammar Patterns

the + underclass

Usage Note

Almost always singular and used with 'the'. Subject matter is usually social policy, poverty, or economics; the word carries a critical or sympathetic tone, not a neutral statistical one.

Common Mistakes

He belongs to an underclass.
He belongs to the underclass.
the word names one specific group in a society, so it normally takes 'the'.
The underclasses voted together.
The underclass voted together.
it is treated as one collective group, rarely pluralised.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words point to people near the bottom of a society, but they differ in tone and scope. 'The poor' is the plainest and broadest, naming anyone without much money. 'Lower class' names a recognised step within a class system, so the people still have a place in it. 'Underclass' is stronger and more critical: it suggests a group pushed below or outside the normal class structure, with little chance of climbing out — it is common in social policy and academic writing. 'The disadvantaged' is the gentlest and most formal, stressing a lack of opportunity rather than rank. You might say, 'The charity helps the disadvantaged,' but a politician warning about long-term poverty would speak of 'a permanent underclass.'

underclass ↗lower classthe poor ↗the disadvantaged

Common collocations

Nouns

  • urban underclass
  • permanent underclass

Phrases

  • a growing underclass
  • trapped in the underclass
  • members of the underclass

Prepositions

  • in the underclass
  • into the underclass

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

A modern compound formed in English by joining the prefix 'under-' (meaning below or lower) to the noun 'class'. It came into wide use in the twentieth century, especially in writing about poverty and society, to name the group sitting beneath the recognised social classes.

First known use

1863

1863, in the meaning defined above