Skip to main content
low status

low status

1 3.7
A position lower than others in work or society
  • noun
translation icon : bajo estatus
  • Why are self-evaluations of the educators' teaching given such low status?
  • low status group
  • low status occupation
  • low status official

So they, they, they've got from high status to low status.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The low status of the indigenous population is further enhanced by discriminatory practices related to language and lifestyle.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Members of non-white or low-status groups tended to be sensitive to the way they were treated by people in managerial positions.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The principal does not need to feel that teaching in the public schools is of low status.

    Academic text (2000)
  • In keeping with the job's low status, there was no qualifying process.

  • The low status of women in contemporary Egypt is therefore no fault of Islam.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Cleaning jobs in private homes are considered to be very low-status employment by the workers themselves.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The women and their spouses characterized domestic service jobs as low status, offering little possibility for advancement.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Another noteworthy barrier is the small number of nurses in palliative care and their low status.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Such transformations are rarely gender-neutral, often forcing women into the worst-paying and lowest-status occupations.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Many people believe that nursing has a low status compared to other medical professions.

Synonyms

inferiority
vslow status
17 5.1

A state of being lower than others in ability, status or value

is more about objective position in society rather than feelings
poor relation
vslow status
  • Offensive
1 5.4

A person or thing that others see as less important than the rest of the group

is a broader social idea not limited to single groups or items
lower rank
vslow status
1 3.5

A position lower than others in a group or at work

focuses more broadly on social importance rather than job position
lower status
vslow status
1 3.9

A position that people see as less important or powerful than others

is the general idea of being less important than other people
lowness
vslow status
1 5.8

A position with little power or respect compared to others

covers the same idea but focuses on rank and social standing
lowliness
vslow status
  • Literature
1 6.7

Being humble and not thinking you are better than others

emphasizes being beneath others in rank without the humble personal tone
lower orders
vslow status
  • Literature
1 7.0

People who have little money and low social status

is the individual position of being less important rather than an entire class
junior status
vslow status
4.0

A condition when someone has a lower rank than others in a company or school

applies to any feeling of being less important across society not just workplaces
subordinateness
vslow status
9.9

Being less important or having less power than others

is about position but can also include personal feelings of reduced worth

Antonyms

3 4.4

A position of respect and importance in society or at work

How Important

top
2.1
high status
3 4.4
status
512 2.7
low status
1 3.7
marginal
1 8.1

Surface Forms

low status singular
low statuses plural

Morphology

low + status

The meaning 'a position of inferior rank or standing' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'low' (inferior) with 'status' (standing or rank). This simple adjective+noun composition follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

Low status comes from a simple image of people on steps: someone on a lower step is in the low position and has less power or respect, which is the idea behind status. So 'low status' means a place or rank that is 'less important' in a group.