upper class

American  

noun

• upper classes
  plural

1. a class of people above the middle class, having the highest social rank or standing based on wealth, family connections, and the like.

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upper class British  

noun

1. the class occupying the highest position in the social hierarchy, esp the wealthy or the aristocracy

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adjective

1. of or relating to the upper class

2. education of or relating to the junior or senior classes of a college or high school

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• upper-class
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• upper classes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of upper class

First recorded in 1830–40

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upper class

“Banyas are the great equalizers. You can’t tell between upper class, middle class or lower class. Everyone’s naked or wearing togas,” she explains.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

It used to be a bicameral legislature, and it gave these upper class of states veto power over legislation.

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026

Rags-to-riches stories tend to be as fabulistic as tales designed to sell the upper class as fair and solicitous to the needs of working people, or amenable to Cinderella fantasies.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

“Poor people are as bad off as in the special period, but a segment of middle and upper class have access to dollars and are not in such bad shape, which causes real social tension.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026

Slavery had been outlawed in Britain in 1807, but it still caused contention among some of the British upper class.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

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Related Words

• aristocracy
• jet set
• upper crust

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