elitist

American  

[ih-lee-tist, ey-lee‑] / ɪˈli tɪst, eɪˈli‑ /

adjective

1. (of a person or class of persons) considered superior by others or by themselves, as in intellect, talent, power, wealth, or position in society.

   elitist country clubbers who have theirs and don't care about anybody else.

2. catering to or associated with an elitist class, its ideologies, or its institutions.

   Even at such a small, private college, Latin and Greek are under attack as too elitist.

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noun

1. a person having, thought to have, or professing superior intellect or talent, power, wealth, or membership in the upper echelons of society.

   He lost a congressional race in Texas by being smeared as an Eastern elitist.

2. a person who believes in the superiority of an elitist class.

Other Word Forms

• antielitist noun
• nonelitist noun

Etymology

Origin of elitist

elite + -ist

Example Sentences

One might say that, three years ahead of the show’s jump to YouTube, Academy voters are making a concerted effort to distance themselves from the perception that the Oscars are elitist and pretentious.

From Salon

“Quite frankly, we’ve created an ecosystem that is elitist,” she said.

From MarketWatch

“He was not exclusive and he was not an elitist, “ Savannah said.

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s a reputation that museums, and particularly art museums, have of being kind of stuffy or like elitist or something like that, which is not something that I personally agree with,” says Critchley.

From The Wall Street Journal

“How did advocating for timeless artistry at the expense of shallow commercial reality become an ‘elitist’ position?”

From Los Angeles Times