Make Your Point: DÉCLASSÉ

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pronounce DÉCLASSÉ:

DAY class AY

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

Let's add the word déclassé to our collection of spicy little French terms, which also includes:

1. dég__é, meaning "at ease: very relaxed, not at all nervous, and not at all emotional;" and related to the words engage and disengage;

2. roi s__eil, meaning "the sun king: the most glorious, most long-reigning king of whatever you're talking about;"

and 3. après nous le d___e, meaning "after us, the flood: we don't care a bit what happens here after we're gone."

How many can you recall? Bonus points for pronouncing them correctly, too!

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

We borrowed this word from French, around the year 1921. It literally means "having lost one's class."

Something déclassé has a lower social status than it used to have.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a déclassé restaurant."

Other forms:

None.

how to use it:

This term is rare and snobby-sounding. The meaning is judgmental; it's very French; it's got those little marks over the vowels that make people nervous. So if you use it, use it with care.

You might talk about a déclassé restaurant that's not as hip as it used to be; a déclassé type of clothing or accessory that used to be cool but isn't anymore; or an entire philosophy, movement, or trend that's grown déclassé.

You might say someone's particular actions or views or statements are déclassé—no longer cool or no longer tolerated—as in déclassé hazing on college campuses, or déclassé jokes targeting women or people of color.

examples:

"In 1851, New York society was the exclusive domain of the Knickerbocker elite, the descendants of the Dutch and English merchants who had arrived in New Netherland in the 17th century. For this old-money set, marriage announcements were déclassé. Those who needed to know already did, and weddings had yet to become public social events."
— Jacqui Shine, New York Times, 23 January 2017

"MGM is producing a new installment of the franchise, a reboot of the planned sequel written by the 1987 picture's original writers, which never made it to theaters because of a writer's strike the year after RoboCop's premiere, and because Paul Verhoeven, who directed the original film, thought directing a sequel would be 'déclassé.'"
— Bijan Stephen, The Verge, 11 July 2018

has this page helped you understand "déclassé"?

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Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "déclassé" without saying "passé" or "lower-class."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Something) is déclassé now, but it used to be (cool for some reason)."

Example: "They're déclassé now, but skating rinks used to be the hippest place to be on a Friday night. Especially if you showed up without any parents, wearing something that glowed in the dark."

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for February: Word Choice Chuckles!

I’ll give you a snippet of text that I spotted in the wild, with one word or phrase removed and its meaning described. See if you can fill in a word or phrase that'll give the reader a good chuckle. Be cheesy. Be punny. Get in there and make me proud.

Here's an example:

"This comes at a time of _____ in the mattress industry."
— Dan Solomon, Texas Monthly, 15 December 2017

Meaning of the missing word: "strife."

Answer: "unrest."

Try this one today:

"Condiment sales in the United States have been less than _____ over the last several years,"
— Stephanie Strom, New York Times, 22 April 2015

Meaning of the missing word: "impressive."

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of DÉCLASSÉ is

A. HIGH-CLASS.
B. WELL-DRESSED.
C. WELL-READ.

2. From William Le Queux's novel The Temptress: "The [gambling] tables are patronised by déclassé women and half-tipsy men. Women who play in a place like this _____."

A. draw a crowd
B. earn a bad name
C. give the house a run for its money

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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