Word.ws English Dictionary

sandwich class

sandwich class noun: the middle class; specifically those who are too wealthy to qualify for welfare schemes but not rich enough to afford non-subsidized housing, access further opportunities or maintain lifestyle expectations.

Noun

sandwich class (plural sandwich classes)

  1. (Singapore, dated, informal) The middle class; specifically those who are too wealthy to qualify for welfare schemes but not rich enough to afford non-subsidized housing, access further opportunities or maintain lifestyle expectations.
    • Although the conditions were generally poor, the rent was extremely low. In the 1970s, for example, the Home Ownership Scheme was introduced to help the middle-income group (sometimes called the "sandwich class").2003 August 29, Kui-Wai Li, Capitalist Development and Economism in East Asia: The Rise of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, Routledge, →ISBN
    • He proposed a new middle-class housing scheme to make it easier for the "sandwich class" to buy their own home.2005 November 1, Joseph Y. S. CHENG, The July 1 Protest Rally: Interpreting a Historic Event, City University of HK Press, →ISBN, page 341

Forms of sandwich class

pluralsandwich classes

Origin of sandwich class

Originated in the 1980s, from the perception of being "sandwiched" (or "squeezed") between the lower and upper classes; compare sandwich generation.

Questions about sandwich class

What does sandwich class mean?
Sandwich class means the middle class; specifically those who are too wealthy to qualify for welfare schemes but not rich enough to afford non-subsidized housing, access further opportunities or maintain lifestyle expectations.
What part of speech is sandwich class?
Sandwich class is a noun.
What is the plural of sandwich class?
The plural of sandwich class is sandwich classes.

Words near sandwich class in the dictionary

  1. sandwich cakes
  2. sandwich care
  3. sandwich carer
  4. sandwich carers
  5. sandwich caring
  6. sandwich class
  7. sandwich classes
  8. sandwich coin
  9. sandwich coins
  10. sandwich compound
  11. sandwich compounds

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: sandwich class (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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