aristocratic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to government by an aristocracy.
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belonging to or favoring the aristocracy.
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characteristic of an aristocrat; having the manners, values, or qualities associated with the aristocracy.
aristocratic bearing; aristocratic snobbishness.
adjective
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relating to or characteristic of aristocracy or an aristocrat
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elegant or stylish in appearance and behaviour
Other Word Forms
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antiaristocraticadjective
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antiaristocraticaladjective
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antiaristocraticallyadverb
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aristocraticallyadverb
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aristocraticalnessnoun
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aristocraticnessnoun
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nonaristocraticadjective
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nonaristocraticaladjective
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nonaristocraticallyadverb
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proaristocraticadjective
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pseudoaristocraticadjective
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pseudoaristocraticaladjective
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pseudoaristocraticallyadverb
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unaristocraticadjective
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unaristocraticallyadverb
Etymology
Origin of aristocratic
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Greek aristokratikós “pertaining to aristocracy,” from aristokrat(ía) “rule of the best” ( see aristocracy) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
The word aristocratic describes a person at the highest level of society — such as a prince or a duchess — or those people or things that are so distinguished that they seem to belong to that group. First used around the 1560s, the adjective aristocratic has origins in the Greek word aristokratia, meaning "government, rule of the best." An aristocratic person usually gains this social status through birthright rather than demonstrated merit. Aristocratic can describe someone or something belonging to this group, like an aristocratic estate or an aristocratic leader, but it can also describe something grand and elegant. You might have an aristocratic expression on your face as you attend a formal party.
Vocabulary lists containing aristocratic
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The Catcher in the Rye
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Content Summary 4.4: Early Modern Islamic Empires
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Universe conditioned us to worship such false idols, portraying wealthy, aristocratic heroes as our greatest defense against alien threats and vigilantes working beyond the reach of the law as the true keepers of justice.
From Salon • May 24, 2026
“The Post,” which starred Meryl Streep in a shrewdly judged performance of aristocratic assurance and creeping insecurity, premiered in Washington less than a year into Trump’s first administration.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Franz Joseph Haydn thought of himself as a slave at the castle of the aristocratic Esterházy family; he served as their court composer for decades while he wrote his famous works.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
As an undergraduate at Cambridge, the young Martin befriended the aristocratic Ben Fitzmaurice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
The portrait, in the style of Gainsborough, showed an aristocratic family—parents, two teenage girls and an infant, all thin-lipped, and pale as ghouls—posed before a vaguely Tuscan landscape.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
