classism

noun

class·​ism ˈkla-ˌsi-zəm 

1

: a belief that a person's social or economic station in society determines their value in that society

[Michael] Moore helped create the era of snark, but he also bore a lot of it, and much of the criticism of him carries a whiff of classism.

—Jessica Pressler

also : behavior that reflects this belief : prejudice or discrimination based on class

… the show explores classism and white privilege by comparing how school administrators treat him, as a rich white boy from a family with Ivy League pedigree, versus how they treat Latina and working-class Moe.

—Roxana Hadadi

2

: the systemic oppression of the lower class and middle class to the advantage of the upper class

Further, this is one way to dismantle the power difference society's privileges grant us through such institutions as racism or classism …

—Sarah Lucia Hoagland

classist

ˈkla-sist 

adjective

Examples of classism in a Sentence

a society plagued by racism and classism

Recent Examples on the Web

The classism came out of just working on the story, and then came the idea of having a leader who’s in a position to form that class structure. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Dec. 2024

There’s the beach life teen drama about the Kooks versus the Pogues and how nobody can share a wave or attend the same bonfire without fighting because of classism and, well, hormones. —Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 11 Oct. 2024

This is interwoven with classism: Around a campfire, he is asked about the prime minister’s upcoming mini-budget, which is rumored to cut taxes for the highest earners. —Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2024

Perhaps readers in 2016 were eager to look past the book’s highly loaded subtext and overt classism, as the promise of a sympathetic conservative who could unlock Trumplandia for liberals was just too appealing. —Aja Romano, Vox, 17 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1