social class

noun

plural social classes

: a group of people sharing the same social or socioeconomic status : class sense 2a

The well-to-do WTUL [=Women's Trade Union League] volunteers who joined striking New York City shirtwaist workers in 1909 had used their elegant attire to convey the fact that no woman, whatever her social class, could ignore the hardships endured by clothing workers in America.

—Ellen Cain

Her research explores the use and abuse of diversity and inclusion policy as a form of reputation management, and how social class influences access to and career progression within 'elite' occupations.

—Queen Mary University of London

The eight women denied being witches, but Mary was believed. She was 18, pretty, educated and from a higher social class.

—Martina Devlin

Examples of social class in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Eventually, the modern steakhouse was born in Gotham, with higher-quality cuts than a chophouse and diners of the same elevated social class as the Beefsteak attendees. —Chris Dwyer, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2024

Paige sees one possible future synthesis: an indigenous democratic socialism in which ethnicity and culture play as central a role as social class. —Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020

Hotels across the range The hotels recognized also spanned across economic and social classes, including a working ranch in Wyoming and a hot springs spa in Arizona. —Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 5 July 2024

The students tolled a gamut of death announcements that could specify gender and social class. —Joseph Wilson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above