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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in snob
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elitist
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
Indeed, Davos has been seen by some as elitist and out-of-touch, Scholte said.
—Lucy Handley, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026
Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for elitist
Adjective
Mariama Diallo’s Master sets the scene at the elitist Ancaster College, where Jasmine (Zoe Renee) navigates life as a young Black student in a predominantly white environment.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
Indeed, Davos has been seen by some as elitist and out-of-touch, Scholte said.
—Lucy Handley, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026
Noun
In a Fox News interview, Carr portrayed Kimmel as an elitist and his own interests as those of the community.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for elitist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elitist
Adjective
-
News articles and photos of the casual picnic enamored Americans, transforming their view of the royals as rigid and aristocratic to more down-to-earth.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Set the scene The streets of Forte—as insiders call it—are a maze of tall box hedges and gates that shelter private villas built for wealthy and aristocratic Italian families.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Your favorite wine snob will be happy as a clam.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
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Then, Carden circles back to the word snob.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The series has devolved into a hysteria that the young and arrogant Timberwolves feed on since that first quarter of Game 2.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
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However, many thought Tilson Thomas too brash and arrogant to lead an orchestra, and, around the same time, Tilson Thomas fell in with New York’s disco-hopping crowd.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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That rationale extends to my loungewear taste, which my friends would call particularly snobbish.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
11 Apr. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Elitist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elitist. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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