Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of snobbish
Explanation
Someone who's snobbish makes it clear that he thinks he's better than most other people. Your snobbish cousin might refuse to borrow your rain coat because it looks "cheap." If you're snobbish, you believe there are different social classes of people, and that you belong to the highest one. A snobbish person might think that graduating from a certain college makes him better than others, or that having more money makes him superior to those with less. The root is snob, which evolved from meaning "shoemaker" in 1700's Britain to being university slang for "ordinary person who apes his social superiors" to "one who despises those he considers inferior."
Vocabulary lists containing snobbish
The Catcher in the Rye
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Ten Most Relevant Words: The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1
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Born a Crime
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It made me painfully aware of just how snobbish and short-sighted my perspective was.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Man or woman, Morris remained imperious, snobbish and egocentric.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
How easily we become snobbish about ingredients that offer smart, flavorful solutions for real bodies and finite energy.
From Salon • Jan. 5, 2026
Film critic Siobhan Synnot called Margolyes's comments "snobbish", adding: "Classic children's films may speak to adults too, it's about ambition, sophistication and quality, not age range".
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2024
When I say this, I am not merely drawing attention to the fact that our generation had a less snobbish attitude as regards which employers were landed gentry and which were 'business.'
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
