second-class citizen
Treated as inferior
A second-class citizen is someone denied the full rights, privileges, or respect accorded to others in a society.
Originally describing legal or political inequality—Black Americans under Jim Crow, women before suffrage—the phrase now extends to anyone treated as inferior: After the merger, employees from the smaller company felt like second-class citizens.
Removal of voting rights
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- injusticeDenial of fair treatment
- voicelessnessLack of spoken sound
- disempowermentLoss of agency
rightlessness · unprotected · denied · restricted · limited · unequal treatment · documentation · statelessness
Relegation to powerless periphery
- segregationForced separation by group
- exclusionBeing barred from participation
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
- bigotryIntolerance toward differing views
racism · sexism · caste · apartheid · Jim Crow · redlining · stereotyping · profiling
State of being isolated
- stigmatizationMarking as disgraceful
- humiliationLoss of dignity
- indignityHumiliating or degrading treatment
- disrespectLack of regard
belittlement · condescension · patronizing · snubbing · invisibility · silencing · dehumanization · objectification
Of lower rank
- subordinateOne lower in rank
- lesserLower in degree
- underclassLowest socioeconomic group
- outsiderOne excluded from group
peripheral · unequal · devalued · diminished · overlooked · sidelined · neglected · disregarded
Direct effort for reform
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
liberation · suffrage · equality · justice · advocacy · solidarity · movement · reform
disenfranchisement
Removal of voting rights
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- injusticeDenial of fair treatment
- voicelessnessLack of spoken sound
disempowerment · rightlessness · unprotected · denied · restricted · limited · unequal treatment · documentation · statelessness · resident alien
marginalization
Relegation to powerless periphery
- segregationForced separation by group
- exclusionBeing barred from participation
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
bigotry · racism · sexism · caste · apartheid · Jim Crow · redlining · stereotyping · profiling · othering
alienation
State of being isolated
- stigmatizationMarking as disgraceful
- humiliationLoss of dignity
- indignityHumiliating or degrading treatment
disrespect · belittlement · condescension · patronizing · snubbing · invisibility · silencing · dehumanization · objectification · disdain
inferior
Of lower rank
- subordinateOne lower in rank
- lesserLower in degree
- underclassLowest socioeconomic group
outsider · peripheral · unequal · devalued · diminished · overlooked · sidelined · neglected · disregarded · undervalued
activism
Direct effort for reform
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
emancipation · liberation · suffrage · equality · justice · advocacy · solidarity · movement · reform · empowerment
second-class citizenfirst-class citizen
One with complete rights
full citizen · privileged class · elite · aristocrat · VIP
second-class citizenvaluable
Worth considerable money
important · indispensable · central figure · treasured · prized
second, class, citizen, secondly, classed, classes, classing, classify, classification