aristocrat

American  

[uh-ris-tuh-krat, ar-uh-stuh-] / əˈrɪs təˌkræt, ˈær ə stə- /

noun

1. a member of an aristocracy, especially a noble.

   Synonyms:

   lord, peer, patrician

2. a person who has the tastes, manners, etc., characteristic of members of an aristocracy.

3. an advocate of an aristocratic form of government.

4. anything regarded as the best, most elegant, or most stylish of its kind.

   the aristocrat of California wines.

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aristocrat British  

/ ˈærɪstəˌkræt /

noun

1. a member of the aristocracy; a noble

2. a person who has the manners or qualities of a member of a privileged or superior class

3. a person who advocates aristocracy as a form of government

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Etymology

Origin of aristocrat

First recorded in 1770–80; from French aristocrate, back formation from aristocratie aristocracy

Example Sentences

How significant is it that Morès, like von Schönerer, was an aristocrat?

From Slate • Mar. 2, 2026

The adaptation retained the 18th-century setting and the central plot: The teenage siren Manon, on her way to a convent, runs off with a smitten young aristocrat, the Chevalier Des Grieux.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

It's nearly 200 years since the birth of a British aristocrat who became the first Muslim member of the House of Lords.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

"History really excites me and learning about the first converts to Islam in Victorian Britain is so exciting - especially a local aristocrat of Lord Stanley's standing."

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

The young aristocrat and his friend Gustave de Beaumont had been dispatched by their government in 1831 with the specific mission of examining America’s rumored-to-be-innovative prisons.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• noble