underclass

UK: /ˈʌndə^rklɑːs/ US: (un′dər klas′, -kläs′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

un•der•class  (un′dər klas′, -kläs′), n. 

1. Sociology a social stratum consisting of impoverished persons with very low social status.

• under- + class 1915–20

Usage

See collective noun. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

underclass / ˈʌndəˌklɑːs/ noun

1. a class beneath the usual social scale consisting of the most disadvantaged people, such as unemployed people in inner cities