Dictionary

Fourth World en · PROPN

Etymology

After First World, Second World, and Third World.

Meanings

1. Collectively, peoples living nomadic, pastoral, hunter-gatherer or other ways of life outside the modern industrial norm.
2. (qualifier:Hopi religion) Synonym of Túwaquachi.
3. (attributive, derogatory, informal) A notional standard of living or level of development lower than that in the stereotyped Third World.
   • How did it become what we might as well call a fourth world country that happens to possess intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear payloads? 2024 October 23, Nicholas Eberstadt, “Who’s Afraid of Korean Reunification?”, in Milken Institute Review, archived from the original on 25 Jul 2025:
   • “Three of the deadliest structural collapses in the last 10 years occurred in one county. That’s not even including the other structural failures that were not deadly. One county, dude. This is a third-world government and a fourth-world infrastructure, at the risk of insulting the fourth world.” 2022 February 3, Joel Stein, “How Miami became the most important city in America”, in Financial Times, archived from the original on 16 Feb 2022:

Forms

Relateds

First World · Fifth World · Sixth World · Second World · Third World

Synonyms

Túwaquachi

Translations (9)

ka მეოთხე სამყარო (Traditional civilizations) · pl Czwarty Świat (Traditional civilizations) · pl Czwarty Świat (Hopi world) · th โลกที่สี่ (Traditional civilizations) · es cuarto mundo (Traditional civilizations) · fr quart-monde (Traditional civilizations) · fr Quatrième Univers (Hopi world) · ca Quart Món (Traditional civilizations) · fr Quatrième Monde (Hopi world)