aristocrat

American  

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

noun

• aristocrats
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• aristocrats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aristocrat

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

Explanation

An aristocrat is someone from the ruling class, usually those with nobility, money, or both. Although not an aristocrat yourself, you may have the odd viscount on your family tree if you go back far enough. The word aristocrat comes from the Greek word aristokratia, which itself comes from the root words aristos, meaning "best," and kratos, meaning "rule." So, the aristocracy was the ruling class of (supposedly) the best and noblest people, and an aristocrat was a member of that class. Today the word can also be applied to anyone with superior standing: Count Basie was an aristocrat in the jazz world.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aristocrat aristocrats

Part of the problem for the palace is that Spencer isn’t just any old brother-in-law but an aristocrat deeply embedded into the royal fabric.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Thomas Jefferson at home, the British aristocrat who backed American rebels, a garbage collector’s view of life and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

She followed that by playing widowed aristocrat Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To the Manor Born, which first aired in 1979.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

She famously played snobbish suburban neighbour Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life, as well as the widowed aristocrat Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To the Manor Born.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Then everyone started arguing about when they discovered Matt wasn’t a wussy aristocrat and when they knew he was muy gente, a great guy.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

Among them was the academy’s annual summer party, themed after 18th-century Georgian pleasure gardens — Britain’s oil-lamp-lit outdoor venues where aristocrats, the newly rich and everyday revelers gathered to see, be seen and behave badly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Jewish by birth, Disraeli was a departure from the aristocrats and country gentlemen whose party he refashioned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Last year was truly miserable: The S&P made almost 18%, including divis, while the dividend aristocrats made 7.2%—less than the total return on a 10-year Treasury.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

One of the stock market’s most exclusive clubs—the so-called dividend aristocrats —looks poised to get a new member.

From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026

Many parts of the butchering process did not require the skill of JohnnyJoyce and the other butcher aristocrats.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Related Words

• noble