Definition of "fourth-class" [fourth-class]

• Of or being a class of mail consisting of merchandise and some printed matter weighing over eight ounces and not sealed against inspection. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But, strategically speaking, he was a fourth-class intellect who may have done lasting damage to the United States."
• "We are being pushed around like we are a fourth-class nation."
• "And Beatrice and Virgil deserves to be severely reviled because this book, which should not have even been permitted even the fourth-class method of self-publication, earned its bumpkin author a six figure sum through indolence and incompetence."