underclass

noun

un·​der·​class ˈən-dər-ˌklas 

: the lowest social stratum usually made up of disadvantaged minority groups

Examples of underclass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Then again, Salam’s narrative—low-skilled immigration leading to a racialized underclass and social strife—doesn’t seem to describe the U.S. experience in recent decades. —Noah Smith, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2018

Once again, despite all the high expectations both teams had brought into the season, both our teams looked like part of the underclass in the National Football League. —Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2024

Michael Manley, the PNP’s charismatic leader, had been elected prime minister of Jamaica in 1972, propelled by support from the country’s overwhelmingly Black underclass. —Lawrence Burney, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2024

Mass immigration of low-skilled laborers—farm workers, child-care workers, gardeners, and so on—will create an economic underclass in the United States. —Noah Smith, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above