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

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

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

Depicting the singer as a Baroque aristocrat clad in contemporary designer fashion, the portrait helped propel González onto an international stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

The buyback aristocrat strategy showed a hypothetical 14.5% annual return over 10 years, with only 13% tech weighting.

From Barron's ● May 7, 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

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

An otherwise urban-dwelling sophisticate, he cultivated a rustic demeanor for France’s benefit, uncharacteristically donning a coonskin hat and simple clothes to impress cosseted aristocrats and ordinary Parisians alike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

The dividend aristocrats index is heavily weighted in defensive sectors, with utilities and consumer staples comprising 33% of its constituents.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

But amongst MPs in the other place next door, and outside the Houses of Parliament, the idea of continuing to allow aristocrats seats by dint of birth is anathema to many.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

The aristocrats of the rating business, 20 percent owned by Warren Buffett.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• noble