aristocracy

American  

[ar-uh-stok-ruh-see] / ˌær əˈstɒk rə si /

noun

plural

aristocracies

1. a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility.

2. a government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class.

3. government by those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.

4. a governing body composed of those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.

5. any class or group considered to be superior, as through education, ability, wealth, or social prestige.

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aristocracy British  

/ ˌærɪˈstɒkrəsɪ /

noun

1. a privileged class of people usually of high birth; the nobility

2. such a class as the ruling body of a state

3. government by such a class

4. a state governed by such a class

5. a class of people considered to be outstanding in a sphere of activity

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aristocracy Cultural  

1. A privileged, primarily hereditary ruling class, or a form of government controlled by such an elite.

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Discover More

Traditionally, the disproportionate concentration of wealth, social status, and political influence in the aristocracy has been resented by the middle class and lower class.

Other Word Forms

• antiaristocracy
  adjective
• proaristocracy
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of aristocracy

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French aristocratie, from Medieval Latin aristocracia, aristocratia, from Greek aristokratía “rule of the best”; equivalent to aristo- + -cracy

Explanation

A person who's "born to rule" belongs to the ruling class, or aristocracy, and is "noble" just by being in the family line — whether they have done anything noble or not. In an aristocracy, a princess who doesn’t visit sick children or clear land mines is still a princess. "Rule of the best" or "by a privileged class" are 16th-century Latin meanings for aristocracy. There are examples of the "best" coming from ordinary society, no matter who their parents are, but often the aristocracy is made up of families who start ruling and keep the power in the family generation after generation. Kings and queens, princes and princesses, and dukes and earls, are all titles within an aristocracy, though some really hard-working and noble outsiders may earn a spot in the aristocracy too.

Example Sentences

A new book by Ray Madoff at Boston College’s law school – The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy – lays out a clear answer for both.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 13, 2025

Aristocracy a class of people considered to be elite members of society.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

This astonishing history appears briefly in the philosopher Matthew Stewart’s brilliant new book, “The 9.9%: The New Aristocracy That Is Entrenching Inequality and Warping Our Culture.”

From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2021

“My dear sir,” I broke out impatiently, “what possible connection is there between Yonkers and ‘The Aristocracy of the Spirit World’?”

From The New Yorker • Mar. 13, 2017

When the decisive vote came in April, Madison attributed his defeat to “the exertions and influence of Aristocracy, Anglicism, and mercantilism” led by “the Banks, the British Merchts., the insurance Comps.”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• elite
• gentility
• gentry
• nobility
• upper class
• upper crust