Class vs. Division: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 7, 2023
"Class" refers to a group with shared characteristics or rank, while "Division" implies a separation or subdivision of a whole.
Key Differences
"Class" and "Division" are both terms used to categorize, but they serve different functions and contexts. "Class" commonly indicates a group of individuals or things that share common characteristics. For instance, in a school setting, a class may comprise students of the same grade level. Conversely, "Division" implies a separation or breaking apart of something larger into distinct parts. A company, for example, might have multiple divisions specializing in different products.
The concept of "Class" often conveys a sense of hierarchy or rank. In society, we might refer to upper, middle, and lower classes, emphasizing socio-economic distinctions. "Division," however, is more neutral in its connotation, emphasizing the act of segmenting without necessarily implying a rank or value to the segments.
In biological taxonomy, both "Class" and "Division" are used, but they cater to different kingdoms. Animals are categorized into classes, while plants and fungi are categorized into divisions. This distinction underscores the versatile applications of both terms across disciplines.
It's also worth noting the associative feelings each word may provoke. "Class" can evoke thoughts of elegance, refinement, or an elite status, especially when used in contexts outside of categorization. In contrast, "Division" might suggest conflict, as in a division of opinions or a divisive issue.
"Class" can also refer to an educational lesson, while "Division" can point to a mathematical operation, further demonstrating the varied usages of both words in the English language.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Basic Definition
A group with shared characteristics.
A separation or subdivision of a whole.
Usage in Taxonomy
Refers to a taxonomic rank for animals.
Refers to a taxonomic rank for plants and fungi.
Connotation
Often implies hierarchy or rank.
More neutral, emphasizing segmentation.
Additional Meanings
Can refer to an educational lesson.
Can refer to a mathematical operation.
Associative Feelings
Elegance, refinement, elite status.
Conflict, breaking apart.
ADVERTISEMENT
Class and Division Definitions
Class
A rank in a hierarchical structure.
The business class on the flight was fully booked.
Division
A disagreement or difference in opinion.
There was a division among team members about the strategy.
Class
An educational lesson.
I have a math class at 10 am.
Division
A taxonomic rank in botany.
Pteridophyta is a division of non-flowering plants.
Class
A set, collection, group, or configuration containing members regarded as having certain attributes or traits in common; a kind or category.
Division
The act or process of dividing.
Class
A grade of mail
A package sent third class.
Division
The state of having been divided.
Class
A quality of accommodation on public transport
Tourist class.
Division
(Mathematics) The operation of determining how many times one quantity is contained in another; the inverse of multiplication.
Class
A social stratum whose members share certain economic, social, or cultural characteristics
The lower-income classes.
Division
The proportional distribution of a quantity or entity
The division of his property among his heirs.
Class
Social rank or caste, especially high rank.
Division
Something, such as a boundary or partition, that serves to divide or keep separate.
Class
(Informal)Elegance of style, taste, and manner
An actor with class.
Division
One of the parts, sections, or groups into which something is divided.
Class
A group of students who are taught together, usually at a regularly scheduled time and in the same subject.
Division
An area of government or corporate activity organized as an administrative or functional unit.
Class
The period during which such a group meets
Had to stay after class.
Division
A territorial section marked off for political or governmental purposes.
Class
The subject material taught to or studied by such a group
Found the math class challenging.
Division
An administrative and tactical military unit that is smaller than a corps but is self-contained and equipped for prolonged combat activity.
Class
A group of students or alumni who have the same year of graduation.
Division
A group of several ships of similar type forming a tactical unit under a single command in the US Navy.
Class
(Biology)A taxonomic category ranking below a phylum or division and above an order.
Division
A former unit of the US Air Force that was larger than a wing and smaller than an air force.
Class
(Statistics)An interval in a frequency distribution.
Division
(Botany) The taxonomic category ranking just below kingdom, consisting of one or more related classes, and corresponding approximately to a phylum in zoological classification.
Class
(Linguistics)A group of words belonging to the same grammatical category that share a particular set of morphological properties, such as a set of inflections.
Division
A category created for purposes of competition, as in boxing.
Class
(Mathematics)A collection of sets whose members share a specified property.
Division
Variance of opinion; disagreement.
Class
To arrange, group, or rate according to qualities or characteristics; assign to a class; classify.
Division
A splitting into factions; disunion.
Class
(countable) A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
The new Ford Fiesta is set to be best in the 'small family' class.
That is one class-A heifer you got there, sonny.
Often used to imply membership of a large class.
This word has a whole class of metaphoric extensions.
Division
The physical separation and regrouping of members of a parliament according to their stand on an issue put to vote.
Class
A social grouping, based on job, wealth, etc. In Britain, society is commonly split into three main classes: upper class, middle class and working class.
Division
(Biology) Cell division.
Class
(uncountable) The division of society into classes.
Jane Austen's works deal with class in 18th-century England.
Division
A type of propagation characteristic of plants that spread by means of newly formed parts such as bulbs, suckers, or rhizomes.
Class
(uncountable) Admirable behavior; elegance.
Apologizing for losing your temper, even though you were badly provoked, showed real class.
Division
(uncountable) The act or process of dividing anything.
Class
A group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher.
The class was noisy, but the teacher was able to get their attention with a story.
Division
Each of the separate parts of something resulting from division.
Class
A series of lessons covering a single subject.
I took the cooking class for enjoyment, but I also learned a lot.
Division
The process of dividing a number by another.
Class
(countable) A group of students who commenced or completed their education during a particular year. A school class.
The class of 1982 was particularly noteworthy.
Division
(arithmetic) A calculation that involves this process.
I've got ten divisions to do for my homework.
Class
(countable) A category of seats in an airplane, train or other means of mass transportation.
I used to fly business class, but now my company can only afford economy.
Division
(military) A formation, usually made up of two or three brigades.
Class
A rank in the classification of organisms, below phylum and above order; a taxon of that rank.
Magnolias belong to the class Magnoliopsida.
Division
A usually high-level section of a large company or conglomerate.
Class
Best of its kind.
It is the class of Italian bottled waters.
Division
(taxonomy) A rank below kingdom and above class, particularly used of plants or fungi, also (particularly of animals) called a phylum; a taxon at that rank.
Magnolias belong to the division Magnoliophyta.
Class
(statistics) A grouping of data values in an interval, often used for computation of a frequency distribution.
Division
A disagreement; a difference of viewpoint between two sides of an argument.
Class
(set theory) A collection of sets definable by a shared property.
The class of all sets is not a set.
Every set is a class, but classes are not generally sets. A class that is not a set is called a proper class.
Division
(government) A method by which a legislature is separated into groups in order to take a better estimate of vote than a voice vote.
The House of Commons has voted to approve the third reading of the bill without a division. The bill will now progress to the House of Lords.
Class
(military) A group of people subject to be conscripted in the same military draft, or more narrowly those persons actually conscripted in a particular draft.
Division
(music) A florid instrumental variation of a melody in the 17th and 18th centuries, originally conceived as the dividing of each of a succession of long notes into several short ones.
Class
A set of objects having the same behavior (but typically differing in state), or a template defining such a set in terms of its common properties, functions, etc.
An abstract base class
Division
(music) A set of pipes in a pipe organ which are independently controlled and supplied.
Class
One of the sections into which a Methodist church or congregation is divided, supervised by a class leader.
Division
(legal) A concept whereby a common group of debtors are only responsible for their proportionate sum of the total debt.
Class
(transitive) To assign to a class; to classify.
I would class this with most of the other mediocre works of the period.
Division
(computing) Any of the four major parts of a COBOL program source code.
Class
(intransitive) To be grouped or classed.
Division
A lesson; a class.
Class
(transitive) To divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes.
Division
(Australia) A parliamentary constituency.
Class
Great; fabulous
Division
The act or process of diving anything into parts, or the state of being so divided; separation.
I was overlooked in the division of the spoil.
Class
A group of individuals ranked together as possessing common characteristics; as, the different classes of society; the educated class; the lower classes.
Division
That which divides or keeps apart; a partition.
Class
A number of students in a school or college, of the same standing, or pursuing the same studies.
Division
The portion separated by the divining of a mass or body; a distinct segment or section.
Communities and divisions of men.
Class
A comprehensive division of animate or inanimate objects, grouped together on account of their common characteristics, in any classification in natural science, and subdivided into orders, families, tribes, genera, etc.
Division
Disunion; difference in opinion or feeling; discord; variance; alienation.
There was a division among the people.
Class
A set; a kind or description, species or variety.
She had lost one class energies.
Division
Difference of condition; state of distinction; distinction; contrast.
I will put a division between my people and thy people.
Class
One of the sections into which a church or congregation is divided, and which is under the supervision of a class leader.
Division
Separation of the members of a deliberative body, esp. of the Houses of Parliament, to ascertain the vote.
The motion passed without a division.
Class
One session of formal instruction in which one or more teachers instruct a group on some subject. The class may be one of a course of classes, or a single special session.
Division
The process of finding how many times one number or quantity is contained in another; the reverse of multiplication; also, the rule by which the operation is performed.
Class
A high degree of elegance, in dress or behavior; the quality of bearing oneself with dignity, grace, and social adeptness.
Division
The separation of a genus into its constituent species.
Class
To arrange in classes; to classify or refer to some class; as, to class words or passages.
Division
Two or more brigades under the command of a general officer.
Class
To divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes.
Division
One of the groups into which a fleet is divided.
Class
To be grouped or classed.
The genus or family under which it classes.
Division
A course of notes so running into each other as to form one series or chain, to be sung in one breath to one syllable.
Class
Exhibiting refinement and high character; as, a class act. Opposite of low-class
Division
The distribution of a discourse into parts; a part so distinguished.
Class
People having the same social or economic status;
The working class
An emerging professional class
Division
A grade or rank in classification; a portion of a tribe or of a class; or, in some recent authorities, equivalent to a subkingdom.
Class
A body of students who are taught together;
Early morning classes are always sleepy
Division
An army unit large enough to sustain combat;
Two infantry divisions were held in reserve
Class
Education imparted in a series of lessons or class meetings;
He took a course in basket weaving
Flirting is not unknown in college classes
Division
One of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole;
The written part of the exam
The finance section of the company
The BBC's engineering division
Class
A collection of things sharing a common attribute;
There are two classes of detergents
Division
The act or process of dividing
Class
A body of students who graduate together;
The class of '97
She was in my year at Hoehandle High
Division
An administrative unit in government or business
Class
A league ranked by quality;
He played baseball in class D for two years
Princeton is in the NCAA Division 1-AA
Division
An arithmetic operation that is the inverse of multiplication; the quotient of two numbers is computed
Class
Elegance in dress or behavior;
She has a lot of class
Division
Discord that splits a group
Class
(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more orders
Division
A league ranked by quality;
He played baseball in class D for two years
Princeton is in the NCAA Division 1-AA
Class
Arrange or order by classes or categories;
How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?
Division
(biology) a group of organisms forming a subdivision of a larger category
Class
A group of individuals or things sharing characteristics.
She was the top student in her class.
Division
(botany) taxonomic unit of plants corresponding to a phylum
Class
A level of quality or excellence.
The hotel is of the highest class.
Division
A unit of the United States Air Force usually comprising two or more wings
Class
A taxonomic rank in biology.
Mammalia is a class of vertebrates.
Division
A group of ships of similar type
Division
The act of dividing or partitioning; separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart
Division
The act of separating into parts.
The division of assets was fair.
Division
A subdivision within an organization.
She works in the marketing division.
Division
A mathematical operation of dividing.
Division by zero is undefined.
FAQs
Can "Class" imply a certain level of quality?
Yes, as in "first-class service" indicating top-notch quality.
Is "Class" used in biological taxonomy?
Yes, it's a taxonomic rank, especially for animals.
How is "Division" used in math?
"Division" is a mathematical operation where one number is divided by another.
Can "Class" be synonymous with elegance?
Yes, as in "She has class," implying grace or elegance.
How is "Class" commonly used in an educational context?
"Class" can refer to a group of students or a specific lesson, as in "English class."
What does "Division" mean in a corporate setting?
It refers to a subdivision within a larger organization, each focusing on specific tasks or products.
Does "Division" always indicate conflict?
No, while it can mean disagreement, it primarily denotes separation or segmentation.
Can "Class" refer to societal groups based on income?
Yes, as in upper, middle, and lower classes.
Does "Class" always imply hierarchy?
Often, but not always. Its meaning can change based on context.
How do "Class" and "Division" relate in taxonomy?
"Class" is for animals, while "Division" is for plants and fungi.
What is the opposite of "Division" in terms of merging?
The opposite could be "unification" or "integration."
Is "Division" used in sports?
Yes, it can refer to groups of teams competing at similar levels, like in football divisions.
Is "Division" exclusive to plants in taxonomy?
Primarily, but it's also used for fungi.
Are "Class" and "Division" interchangeable?
No, they have distinct meanings and applications depending on the context.
How is "Division" used in the context of assets?
It can refer to the distribution or splitting of assets, such as during a divorce.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
