Overclass (original) (raw)

Overclass is a recent and pejorative term for the most powerful group in a social hierarchy. Users of the term generally imply excessive and unjust privilege and exploitation of the rest of society. The word is fairly recent: the Oxford English Dictionary included it only in December 2004. But it has been in use since at least 1995. Some writers compare it to the more familiar underclass: Perhaps the most commonly agreed-upon "overclass" consists of leaders in international business, finance and the arms trade.