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

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Etymology

Origin of aristocrat

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

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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

Another group member is aristocrat David Lascelles, the Earl of Harewood, whose family has close links to the royal family.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

The French aristocrat who had joined the American revolutionary cause visited the U.S. in 1824.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Born in 1757, the Marquis de La Fayette was a French aristocrat and a democratic revolution’s most unlikely hero.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 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

“The rest of you must help this aristocrat see the error of his ways. We do this because we love him and want to welcome him into the hive.”

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

This agri-stocracy ruled over a part of California equivalent in size to the state of New Jersey, yet like “Downton Abbey” British aristocrats, they were rich in acreage but hard up for cold hard cash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

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

The book is about colonisation and devastation, set against a backdrop of families left to die of starvation on estates owned by British aristocrats and landowners.

From BBC ● May 22, 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

Probability theory was invented to help rich aristocrats win more money with their gambling.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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Related Words

• noble

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