as in aristocratic
of high birth, rank, or station
upper-class boys who had an entrenched sense of entitlement
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in aristocracy
the highest class in a society
a school founded to educate the children of the upper class
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upper-class
Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
In the late imperial period, upper-class women frequently took part in crafting and manufacturing, especially textile-making.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 2 Jan. 2025
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
The British upper classes and a farmer's bum laid bare, as the Norfolk countryside slowly desiccates.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for upper-class
Adjective
In this early example of auto-fiction, Mishima offers a poetic analysis of his sentimental education as a young man whose sadomasochistic gay fantasies clash with the conventions of his upper-class upbringing.
—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
In the late imperial period, upper-class women frequently took part in crafting and manufacturing, especially textile-making.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
So, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the upper class would take leftover food, goods, or money and put them in boxes to give out to the poor.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
The British upper classes and a farmer's bum laid bare, as the Norfolk countryside slowly desiccates.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for upper-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upper-class
Adjective
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Such features, which began appearing in high-status homes around the 10th century, were rare and signified a royal or aristocratic residence.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 Feb. 2025
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Central France has been occupied off and on for thousands of years, by aristocratic families to nomadic tribes.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Cosmo Jarvis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike and Anthony Hopkins were earlier announced for the movie that sees Ritchie return to the colorful, back-stabbing world of the British aristocracy.—
Etan Vlessing,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Feb. 2025
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She was born into the Anglo-Irish aristocracy, the product of a narcissistic mother, who was a scion of the Guinness-brewing fortune, and an Etonian father, who was killed in wartime Burma, when Blackwood was thirteen.—
Negar Azimi,
The New Yorker,
12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Embalmers had different recipes for preparing and preserving bodies depending on the era; the budget; the level of nobility and gender of the deceased; and the availability of ingredients such as plant resins, oils and other unguents that could preserve and perfume the remains.—
Sarah Everts,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Feb. 2025
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European salons were nobility inviting composers into their homes to write and play music.—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Centuries ago, the intricate flora proved a hit with the Netherlands’ upper crust, who’d shell out big sums of guilders (the currency at the time) to wear them as corsages during balls or to decorate their canal-side homes.—
Chris Schalkx,
AFAR Media,
14 Feb. 2025
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The Earth's upper crust contains around 3.5% iron, and dust generated on impact would carry these nutrients into the ocean, along with any additional iron that might be carried by the asteroid.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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She as the most gentry eyes and a delightful personality.—
Trish Stinger,
Kansas City Star,
15 Jan. 2025
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The Whitehaven neighborhood had developed in the late 19th century and attracted as residents the Memphis gentry.—
Michael T. Bertrand,
The Conversation,
5 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Upper-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upper-class. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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