People who lack class engage in these 12 behaviors regularly

These behaviors signal a lack of class.

A person with short brown hair wearing a white shirt is slightly smiling while looking at the camera against a plain background.

Most people can recognize classy behavior when they see it, because people who embody class seem to radiate it from every pore. The same goes for a lack of class, however, and those who are seriously class-deficient will often put the following behaviors into practice.

1. Over-enthusiastic use of vulgarity.

A person with curly hair is smiling broadly against a brown background, wearing a brown shirt. One hand is raised in a casual gesture.

Classless people pepper each sentence with a procession of swear words, as though they’re training to be extras on The Trailer Park Boys or South Park characters. They can’t seem to say anything without being terribly crass, which results in everyone around them getting embarrassed and uncomfortable in their presence.

2. Interrupting others constantly.

A woman and a man are sitting at a table outside, engaged in a conversation. A notebook and a laptop are on the table. The woman is gesturing with her hands while listening, and the man is facing her with his hands open.

Regardless of who is speaking or what’s being shared, they always have something more important to say, and will blurt it out whenever they see fit. They interrupt and talk over everyone else, barely paying attention when anyone else is speaking, and changing the subject whenever they start to feel bored.

3. Asking inappropriate questions.

Two women are sitting indoors, engaged in conversation. One woman, with long brown hair, is smiling and listening intently to the other woman, who is speaking. The setting appears casual and well-lit by natural light.

They don’t seem to grasp the concept of grace in discussions and ask questions that are beyond the pale. For example, if newlyweds say that they’re hoping to start a family soon, a person who lacks class might ask how long they’ve been “rawdogging” for, much to everyone’s shock and horror.

4. Making off-color comments about another’s appearance.

Two women having a serious conversation at an outdoor café. One woman, dressed in a red jacket, is gesturing while talking, and the other woman, with her back to the camera, listens. Each has a cup of coffee in front of them. Trees and buildings are in the background.

Just because someone’s co-worker shows up with a noticeable blemish on her face, that doesn’t mean that it should be pointed out with great enthusiasm. Similarly, commenting on how an elderly aunt’s mustache is growing in, or how much weight a friend has gained is classless and wholly uncalled for.

5. Constant toilet humor.

Poop jokes might have been funny when we were seven, but they’re utterly devoid of class if one is beyond the age of ten. In fact, few behaviors are quite as boorish as when someone makes constant jokes about bodily functions, reproduction, nose-picking, and other grossly juvenile subjects.

6. Going into great detail about very personal subjects (especially at inappropriate times).

Two women sitting at a round table, engaged in conversation. One holds a smartphone, showing it to the other. They each have a cup of coffee in front of them, with a small potted plant on the table. Cozy room with art on the walls.

People who lack class don’t just go into details about their own personal issues—they’ll also divulge personal details about those close to them without their consent. They might bring up their teenager’s private behavior during a work meeting, or share a humiliating experience their partner had with mutual acquaintances.

7. Tampering with their own bodies during conversation.

A person in a white T-shirt and light blue jeans is seen from the back, with one hand reaching into their back pocket.

When one is in the company of others, it’s important to keep one’s hands in sight, and not tamper with oneself. For example, you might have cringed when someone was talking to you with one hand down their pants, or if they were mining for nose goblins during your conversation.

8. Eating like a child or a convict.

A woman with long dark hair enthusiastically eating spaghetti from a fork against a brick wall background. She is wearing a white tank top and holding a plate of pasta. Her expression is playful and energetic.

Unless someone has physical disabilities that prevent them from having basic table manners, there’s no excuse for horrible dining etiquette. Holding utensils in their fists, chewing with their mouth open, making slurping sounds, and hunching over their plate while shoveling food into their mouth are all low- or no-class behaviors.

9. Behaving in a manner that’s disgraceful to their age.

An older woman with white hair in a white shirt stands against a red background, making an assertive expression and gesturing with her middle finger raised.

While gyrating around a pole at a club might have been fun or silly when they were in their twenties, this behavior becomes quite horrifying in their sixties or beyond. They might dress the same way they did 40 years earlier, and abandon all dignity and self-respect for the sake of clinging to past glory.

10. Intentionally trying to put others off their food.

A person with long hair and a denim shirt makes a disgusted facial expression, with their hands raised in front of them, against a plain light green background.

Most of us have encountered people who seem to find it hilarious to horrify folks at the dinner table, usually by implying things about the food with the sole intention of causing disgust, nausea, or horror. This is terribly classless behavior that nobody will choose to interact with further.

11. Being completely obtuse when it comes to personal boundaries.

Two men having a conversation in an office. One is seated, wearing glasses, a blue blazer, and holding a smartphone. The other is standing, wearing a white turtleneck and resting his arm on the back of the chair, looking at the seated man.

Some people are very physically “touchy” in conversation, but that doesn’t mean others appreciate being touched or tapped repeatedly—especially by near strangers. If they move away from the toucher in an attempt to politely curtail the behavior, a classless person will simply reach out further, or ask why they’re creating distance.

12. Showing a lack of grace when it comes to gifts or acts of kindness.

A young girl with long blonde hair holds up a black sock and a gold-wrapped gift, looking disappointed. She is wearing a brown top and has a flower hair accessory. The background is plain white.

If your grandmother gives you a similar holiday gift this year to the one she gave you last time, you likely thank her kindly so she knows how much you appreciate her. In contrast, someone who lacks class will blurt out ungraciously that she repeated the same gift, and get sullenly annoyed.