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

Other factors that can create a sense of separation include the identity of the teacher or not feeling connected to them, cues about social class, the school's physical environment, and bullying. —Bob McKinnon, Parents, 25 Sep. 2024

Indeed, perhaps nearly all conclusions that researchers draw about race in contemporary South Africa must be tempered by the fact that race and social class are still closely (but not completely) interconnected. —James L. Gibson, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2015

Conversations With Friends probed the ambiguities of friendship and affairs, while Rooney’s second novel, Normal People, published in the U.S. in 2019, charted how social class and miscommunication derailed a romance. —Kate Dwyer, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024

Status and social class matter a great deal to people — who prefer to cluster with those of similar socio-economic backgrounds, both in their residential choices and leisure ones. —Howard Husock, New York Daily News, 28 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above