caste system

noun

plural caste systems

1

: a system of rigid social stratification characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social barriers sanctioned by custom, law, or religion

specifically : a traditional system of social stratification in some South Asian societies and especially among Hindus in India

2

: a system that establishes divisions of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation, or race

That is the essence of a caste system: Unequal status is codified by geography, wealth and access to justice.

—LaTasha Boyd Jones

Straight up: The CIAC's [Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference] institutional caste system continues to leave kids in poorer communities at a competitive disadvantage. Families without means have fewer avenues available to compensate for lost instructional and team time.

—Mike DiMauro

While the racial caste system hasn't gone away, an educational caste system has been laid alongside it, and people in areas like my home county feel they are losing status, even as the most highly educated Americans of any race move upward.

—Monica Potts

Examples of caste system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Experts believe the rings’ owner may have been a merchant of the Indian ancient caste system Vaishyas, the department said. — Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

Experts believe the rings’ owner may have been a merchant of the Indian ancient caste system Vaishyas, the department said. — ABC News, 6 July 2026

As new generations transition India toward fresh societal pathways, is there any chance the caste system can be revisited? — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 28 June 2026

Not the gatekeeping, the bureaucratic drag, the intellectual caste system Hamel describes. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for caste system

• cryptosystem
• ecosystem
• intersystem
• multisystem
• photosystem
• subsystem