clientele
Americannoun
-
the clients or customers, as of a professional person or shop, considered collectively; a group or body of clients.
This jewelry store has a wealthy clientele.
-
dependents or followers.
noun
Etymology
Origin of clientele
1555–65; < Latin clientēla, equivalent to client- ( see client) + -ēla collective noun suffix; clientele ( def. 1 ) probably < French clientèle < Latin
Explanation
Your customers are your clientele. If you own a pet food store, your clientele might be two-footed and four-pawed. The noun clientele is often preceded by an adjective to describe the exact type of customer. Little boutiques in upscale neighborhoods probably cater to an exclusive clientele, while the kids' hair salon might have Barney on video to keep the young clientele motionless in their chairs. Regardless of business type, you are always trying to please the clientele.
Vocabulary lists containing clientele
Vocabulary from an excerpt from "Confessions of a 30-Year-Old Gamer," by Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates
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Six of Crows
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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.
In Canton, painters like Lam Qua headed ateliers devoted to Export art, adapting styles from expatriate artists such as George Chinnery to gain foreign clientele.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
"It's hard to know whether it will have an impact on bookings," he told AFP, adding the label "appeals to an international clientele, particularly Americans".
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
The clientele is mostly cyclists in helmets and spandex-y bike tops and shorts.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., career coach’s clientele include people in midtier roles in tech, finance and elsewhere.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
“No. We’ll stay here so that when we are allowed to open the store, we can as soon as possible. And you never know, the war might bring a whole new clientele to serve.”
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
