How would one refer to the description of a (socioeconomic) class? For instance, racial and cultural would be adjectives referring to race and culture, but what would you use for something pertaining to a (socioeconomic) class? Neither classist nor classical would work, as they both convey something completely unrelated.
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You have the concepts all mixed up. Do you need a broad term for the 'class' descriptor or a generic one for use with each '(such as socioeconomic) class'?– KrisCommented May 6, 2014 at 7:18
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I need an adjective to refer to "class" (specifically social class, or status) in the same way that "racial" and "cultural" refer to race and culture. Socioeconomic would work, but I'm just curious if there's a good word to complete a sentence such as "Racial, cultural, and class- factors".– user74203Commented May 6, 2014 at 7:50
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You may say, 'Racial, cultural and social factors' . Social in this case would be understood as referred to social conditions ( status, class), I think.– user66974Commented May 6, 2014 at 8:52
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3 Answers
If you mean to describe someone as being of a certain status or in a certain class of society, the word socio-economic functions well as an adjective.
People in higher socio-economic groups benefit from...
The term classist is someone who has a negative attitude towards people of a certain social standing. This kind of mentality is referred to as 'classism', which is a belief system centred around displaying, thinking or vocalising prejudice towards social classes.
The term classical is generally used to refer to things of an ancient or traditional nature, like mythology (Classical Greek mythology), music (the Classical era of music), architecture (Classical Roman buildings), art, dance and other cultural concepts. Using this word to describe someone's social class would give the wrong impression and skew your meaning.
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Socioeconomic accomplishes essentially what I was looking for. It would complete a sentence such as "Racial, cultural, and socioeconomic factors" in a way that makes sense. I'm still curious though if there's a good adjective to refer to class in the same way that racial refers to race. Commented May 6, 2014 at 8:43
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Well, not all good adjectives have to end in 'al'. Like 'botanic' vs 'botanical'. Commented May 8, 2014 at 0:46
status:
a social or professional position, condition, or standing to which varying degrees of responsibility, privilege, and esteem are attached.
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Or in this case, its adjectival derivatives status-based and status-related. Commented May 6, 2014 at 9:06
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I agree, my answer is actually based on the original question by OP who was looking for a term, not specifically and adjective. The question was later re-edited.– user66974Commented May 6, 2014 at 9:11
You can use class as an adjective as well, as in class discrimination corresponding to 'racial discrimination'.
