TEM4

underclass

英 ['ʌndəklɑːs] 美 ['ʌndərklæs]

n.下层社会；下层阶级；贫困阶层

◉Etymology

“Underclass” 是由两个部分组成的合成词：“under” 和 “class”。“Under” 在这里意为“低于”或“下层”，“class” 则指社会阶层或等级。因此，“underclass” 指的是社会中处于较低社会经济地位的群体。这个词首次出现在20世纪中期，用于描述经济条件差、社会地位低的群体。

◉外刊例句

① 《纽约时报》 (The New York Times), 2024年6月10日

“The widening gap between the upper and the underclass is raising concerns about social stability.”

“上层阶级与底层阶级之间日益扩大的差距引发了对社会稳定性的担忧。”

② 《卫报》 (The Guardian), 2023年9月12日

“Policies aimed at reducing poverty often fail to address the systemic issues faced by the underclass.”

“旨在减少贫困的政策常常未能解决底层阶级面临的系统性问题。”

◉经典名著

在乔治·奥威尔的《1984》中，“underclass” 描述了社会的下层阶级：

“The underclass in Orwell’s dystopian world lived in constant surveillance and poverty, their lives marked by deprivation and oppression.”

“在奥威尔的反乌托邦世界里，底层阶级生活在持续的监视和贫困中，他们的生活充满了匮乏和压迫。”

◉Usage Examples

(1) They are the underclass and thus usually left out of the picture.

(2) Some blame Britain's unequal society and the large underclass that it creates.

(3) The long-term unemployed are becoming a new underclass.

(1) 他们属于最下层，一般就都被人们所忽略了。

(2) 有人将这一结果归罪于英国社会的不平等和由此造成的大量下层阶级人口。

(3) 长期失业的人正形成新的贫困阶层。

◉Colins

1. [N-COUNT 可数名词]下层社会；社会底层 A country's underclass consists of those members of its population who are poor, and who have little chance of improving their situation. [usu sing]

The basic problems of the inner-city underclass are inadequate housing and lack of jobs...

老城区底层人群面临的基本问题是住房紧张和就业不足。

Welfare has become identified with the long-term poor, the underclass.

福利已经与长期贫困的下层社会联系在了一起。