Brahmin
Americannoun
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Hinduism. Brahman.
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(especially in New England) a person usually from an old, respected family who, because of wealth and social position, wields considerable social, economic, and political power.
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a person who is intellectually or socially aloof.
adjective
noun
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the older spelling of Brahman
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(in the US) a highly intelligent or socially exclusive person, esp a member of one of the older New England families
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an intellectual or social snob
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Brahmin
First recorded in 1475–85; variant of Brahman 1
Explanation
In Hinduism, a brahmin is a member of the highest class, spiritually and socially. Traditionally, brahmins were priests and teachers. The term brahmin comes from the Sanskrit brahman, which means "prayer" or "the universal soul." People who were born into this group in ancient times were expected to devote their lives to holy pursuits. Within India's caste system, brahmins are the highest in the traditional social hierarchy. In the U.S., the word was appropriated by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1851 to describe Boston's elite social class, made up of wealthy people with Ivy League educations.
Vocabulary lists containing brahmin
Siddhartha
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Chapters 3–4
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History of India - Middle School and High School
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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.
The portfolio, which was known as Markel Ventures until last year, includes Lansing, a building-products distributor; Brahmin, a maker of high-end handbags; and Eagle, a Virginia home builder.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
Richard Henry Dana was a Boston Brahmin and a Harvard man who took to sea on an ordinary merchant ship.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2025
In his 2021 book Woke Inc., he wrote about his family’s position as Brahmin, often considered the highest of Hindu castes.
From Slate • Nov. 9, 2023
Ms Sawant, a socialist, has previously spoken of being raised in an upper-caste Hindu Brahmin household in India and witnessing such discrimination.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2023
As another hour passed and the Brahmin could not sleep, he rose again, walked up and down, left the house and saw the moon had risen.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
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.
