class distinctions
Ranks in society
Class distinctions are the differences in social standing, wealth, education, and lifestyle that separate groups in a stratified society.
The term often carries critical weight, implying these divisions are arbitrary or unjust: The old class distinctions are breaking down, a society without class distinctions.
The phrase suggests visible markers—accent, dress, manners—that reveal where someone falls in the hierarchy.
- bourgeoisieCapitalist ownership class
- proletariatLaborers lacking capital ownership
- aristocracyRule by hereditary elite
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- professionTrained occupational field
cultural capital · caste · hierarchy · stratification · white-collar · below stairs · income inequality · garret · wealth · poverty · tatters · prestige · grime · labor · nouveau riche · upstairs · calluses · etiquette
- high societygossip, socialites, socialite, aristocrats, aristocrat
- social classstratum, bourgeoisie, proletariat, underclass, elite
- Regency SocietyRegency, manners, etiquette, courtship, ballrooms
- bourgeois fictionbourgeoisie, bourgeois values, social realism, petit bourgeois, bildungsroman
- customscustoms, customs clearance, wedding custom, customs declaration, burial custom
- etiquettemanners, politeness, etiquette, table manners, courtesy
class distinctionsegalitarianism
Philosophy of universal equality
social equality · classlessness · classless society · equality · egalitarian society
class distinctionsmeritocracy
Advancement through demonstrated ability
equal opportunity · social mobility · level playing field · merit system · open society
class distinctionsclasslessness
Lack of social hierarchy
social integration · open society · universal brotherhood · common humanity · social cohesion