underclass
underclass — 名詞
- underclasssingular
- underclassesplural
1. the part of a society made up of the poorest people, who have the least money, p
底層階級
社會中最貧窮、最缺乏權力與機會的一群人
the part of a society made up of the poorest people, who have the least money, power, and chance to improve their lives.
Years of factory closures pushed thousands of families into a growing urban underclass.
多年來工廠不斷倒閉，使數千個家庭淪為日益龐大的城市底層階級。
collocation: urban underclass / growing underclass
Manuela's study showed how poor schools trap children in the underclass for life.
Manuela 的研究顯示，差勁的學校如何讓孩子一輩子困在底層階級中。
trap someone in the underclass
The new housing law was meant to help families stuck in the underclass.
這項新的住宅法案原本是要幫助那些陷在底層階級的家庭。
Politicians rarely listen to the underclass, since these voters have little power.
政治人物很少傾聽底層階級的聲音，因為這些選民幾乎沒有什麼影響力。
Asher argued that cutting welfare would only swell the country's underclass.
Asher 主張，刪減社會福利只會讓這個國家的底層階級更加龐大。
- 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
- elite
the small group with the most wealth and power
- upper class
the richest and highest-status group in a society
文法句型
the + underclass
用法筆記
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.