Brahmin

[ brah-min ]

/ ˈbrɑ mɪn /

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See synonyms for Brahmin on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural Brah·min, Brah·mins.

(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.

a person who is intellectually or socially aloof.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of a Brahmin: the Brahmin attitudes of a true aristocrat.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of Brahmin

First recorded in 1475–85; variant of Brahman¹

OTHER WORDS FROM Brahmin

Brah·min·ic

[brah-min-ik], /brɑˈmɪn ɪk/, Brah·min·i·cal, adjectivenon-Brah·min·ic, adjectivenon-Brah·min·i·cal, adjectiveun-Brah·min·i·cal, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH Brahmin

Brahman, Brahmin

Words nearby Brahmin

Brahmana, Brahmani, Brahmanism, Brahmaputra, Brahmi, Brahmin, Brahminism, Brahmins, Brahminy kite, Brahmo Samaj, Brahms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Brahmin in a sentence

One engineer and former contractor for Cisco said he was temporarily removed from a WhatsApp group with other Cisco workers after sharing a news story critical of Brahmin supremacy.
India’s engineers have thrived in Silicon Valley. So has its caste system.|Nitasha Tiku|October 28, 2020|Washington Post
I didn't realize that in part they were an engine for perpetuating the Brahmin class of New England.
My Conversation with John Updike|Barbara Probst Solomon|January 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Yet how came it that even a low-caste mongrel of a Lascar should offer such an overt insult to a Brahmin!
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He heard Mohammedans alluding to a Brahmin as a leader—so might a wolf and a snake make common alliance against a watch dog.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

“I shall renew the bombardment, and put every one of you to death in a few days,” threatened the Brahmin.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Chumru had long ago decided to send the Brahmin to the place where all unbelievers go, at the first suitable opportunity.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
They erect altars to the god Rama beneath its shade, and there, too, the Brahmin instructs his scholars.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for Brahmin

Brahmin

/ (ˈbrɑːmɪn) /

noun plural -min or -mins

the older spelling of Brahman (def. 1)

(in the US) a highly intelligent or socially exclusive person, esp a member of one of the older New England families

an intellectual or social snob

Derived forms of Brahmin

Brahminic or Brahminical, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012