lower-class

1 of 2

adjective

low·​er-class ˌlō-ər-ˈklas 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the lower class

2

: being an inferior or low-ranking specimen of its kind

a lower-class theater

lower class

2 of 2

noun

: a social class occupying a position below the middle class and having the lowest status in a society

Synonyms

Adjective

• baseborn
• common
• humble
• ignoble
• inferior
• low
• low-life
• lowborn
• lowly
• lumpen
• mean
• plebeian
• prole
• proletarian
• unwashed
• vulgar

Examples of lower-class in a Sentence

Adjective

they were finally earning enough to get out of the lower-class tax bracket

Noun

a member of the lower class

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Iraq Petroleum Company helped build a middle class in the city but neglected the mostly Kurdish lower class. —John Waterbury, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2020

The circulation of this paper is not among the lower classes: on the contrary, its principal clientele is among the more intelligent people. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024

At $1 per month ($12 per year) this ranges from a mere 0.08% for the lower class to an infinitesimal 0.00048% for the upper class. —Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Coward also pokes fun at the power struggle between the upper and lower classes as Julia tries and fails to keep the help, the officious maid Saunders (a hilarious turn by Cindy Goldfield), in her place. —Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1637, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lower-class

adjective

low·​er-class

-ˈklas

: of, relating to, or being the social class ranking below the middle class