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
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Deportation, and the threat of it, have upended the lives of millions of American children in the last few decades alone, while also creating a permanent underclass of workers who live in fear while their labor allows for the quiet lowering of costs for goods and services.
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Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
In a dystopian future, a desperate underclass willingly submits to a dangerous competition where death is all but guaranteed with the event televised as a distraction by autocratic leaders who are siphoning resources from the populace.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
But there’s also an alternate future—perhaps one that more resembles the political economy of the present—where tech trillionaires lock in their new power, sideline the state as a political force, and usher in a world where most people are trapped in a permanent underclass.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
The only way to escape the permanent A.I. underclass, ironically, is to lean in and hustle in a bot-like way.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underclass
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Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
In a dystopian future, a desperate underclass willingly submits to a dangerous competition where death is all but guaranteed with the event televised as a distraction by autocratic leaders who are siphoning resources from the populace.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
But there’s also an alternate future—perhaps one that more resembles the political economy of the present—where tech trillionaires lock in their new power, sideline the state as a political force, and usher in a world where most people are trapped in a permanent underclass.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
The only way to escape the permanent A.I. underclass, ironically, is to lean in and hustle in a bot-like way.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underclass
Cite this Entry
“Underclass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underclass. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
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