as in aristocratic
being or characteristic of a person who has an offensive air of superiority and tends to ignore or disdain anyone regarded as inferior
the complacent, elitist attitude of the members at that suburban country club
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in snob
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of elitist
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
By partly neutralizing criticism that its leaders are elitist or antidemocratic, the right has been able to focus on issues that play to its strengths.
—Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
He’s known for brash takes on politics and appears to relish taking down moralists and elitists.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elitist
Adjective
This is a moment in global history that feels, for lack of a better term, quite stupid, marked by rising populist pushback against institutions seen as elitist; serious intellectual inquiry is frequently swept into that critique.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
By partly neutralizing criticism that its leaders are elitist or antidemocratic, the right has been able to focus on issues that play to its strengths.
—Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Noun
And anyone who thinks of modern Democrats, from Texas or anywhere else, as a collection of elitists or urban snobs would likely not be referring to the 35-year-old Scudder.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
He’s known for brash takes on politics and appears to relish taking down moralists and elitists.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elitist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elitist
Adjective
-
Because the feudal courts, chivalric codes, and aristocratic patronage that had sustained it were gone.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The poisoning of a champion stallion opens an investigation that starts to expose tensions and secrets inside an aristocratic horse breeding dynasty.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Then, Carden circles back to the word snob.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
-
For design lovers and many coffee snobs, the vessel makes the drink.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Set in 1969 Palm Beach, the Apple TV series follows Kristen Wiig’s Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons, a spry social climber eager to infiltrate high society.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In classic Brooksian fashion, this simple succession plan becomes complicated by a potential scandal involving her social climber husband (Jack Lowden), the sudden return of her womanizing father (Woody Harrelson), and, well, Ella McCay’s own stubbornly idealistic personality.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The anti-pop animus of classic rock criticism reflected nothing so much as a neurotic puritanism, or maybe just a snobbish inability to hear the deep beauty of pop.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
29 Mar. 2026
-
And Alexander Hamilton gets slightly better press than the other two, but he is shown as someone who is brilliant, but self-seeking, arrogant, snobbish, contemptuous of others, and profoundly two-faced.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elitist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elitist. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
