A low-life or lowlife is a term for a person who is considered unacceptable by their community in general. Examples of people who are often called "lowlifes" are skells, prostitutes, drug addicts, drug dealers, alcoholics, hustlers, pimps, slumlords, criminals and corrupt officials or authority figures.[1]
It may be used in a more general sense to describe anyone not "living the high-life", such as persons with low incomes or who live in poor conditions (or anyone else perceived as "lazy" by the middle and upper class), but such usage is commonly seen as an indicator of classist elitism and unfounded prejudice.
Often, the term is used as an indication of disapproval of antisocial or self-destructive behaviors, usually bearing a connotation of contempt and derision. This usage of the word dates to 1911.[2]
References
- ^ Block, Walter (1991). Defending the Undefendable. ISBN 0930073053.
- ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=low-life&searchmode=phrase. Retrieved 2006-06-10.
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