elite

American  

[ih-leet, ey-leet] / ɪˈlit, eɪˈlit /

Or élite

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) the choicest or best of anything considered collectively, especially of a group or class of people.

   The elite of the contemporary art scene were all represented at the gallery.

2. (used with a plural verb)

   1. people of the highest financial or social level of society.

      Only the elite received invites to the event.

   2. a group of people exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group.

      The scandal involved most members of the political party's power elite.

3. a member of a group of people who have a great deal of power, influence, or social capital.

   The elites don't care about ordinary people's problems.

4. a type, widely used in typewriters, that is approximately 10-point in size and has 12 characters to the inch.

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adjective

1. representing the choicest or most select; best.

   The program is taught by an elite group of authors.

elite British  

/ ɪˈliːt, eɪ- /

noun

1. (sometimes functioning as plural) the most powerful, rich, gifted, or educated members of a group, community, etc

2. Also called: twelve pitch.  a typewriter typesize having 12 characters to the inch

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or suitable for an elite; exclusive

Other Word Forms

• antielite noun
• nonelite noun
• superelite noun

Etymology

Origin of elite

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English elit “a person elected to office,” from Middle French e(s)lit, past participle of e(s)lire “to choose”; elect

Example Sentences

There were three home runs, diving catches, two elite starting pitchers competing at a high level and both teams refusing to let the other separate itself.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Gen. Qassem Suleimani, who led Iran’s Quds Force, an elite branch of the Iranian military responsible for the country’s foreign operations.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

More than 100 images spanning three centuries have an extraordinary range that document the city in its full diversity from the elite worlds of Zoroastrian merchants and cinema stars to working-class lives of ordinary citizens.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The roster of shows where Silicon Valley's elite now prefer to make news constitutes a parallel media ecosystem.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Although exact ages are not known, it is likely that some Waffen-SS recruits were former Hitler Youth, now old enough to join the elite SS formation.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• aristocracy
• celebrity
• establishment
• society