elitist

American  

[ih-lee-tist, ay-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.

---

noun

• elitists
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• antielitist
  noun
• nonelitist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• elitists
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of elitist

elite + -ist

---

Explanation

Elitist is another word for snob. If you wear only the finest silk suits, expect caviar at every meal, and refuse to speak to anyone who doesn't have a PhD, then you might be an elitist. A fairly recent addition to the English language, the noun elitist, came about from a mix of elite + ist in 1950. Carlyle, Freud, and Nietzsche were all considered to be the original elitists. Elite, from which elitist was formed, evolved much earlier, in 1823, from the French élite, meaning “selection, choice.” Synonyms for elitist include highbrow, pompous person, social climber, and stuffed shirt.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elitist elitists

You need large numbers to win wars, which inherently means that armies can’t be elitist institutions.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

Synthetic yet organic, populist yet elitist, the $1 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is full of contradictions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Tennis has faced a more complex reputation, with some considering it to have been an elitist sport.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

But some project supporters call Keller and other critics elitist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

Fort Hare could be a rather elitist place and was not without the hazing common to many institutions of higher learning.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

While elitists criticize and theorize about the poor, Robert L. Woodson Sr. looked for successes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

So why would audiences care about a liar and cheater desperate to gain acceptance among horrible elitists at an exclusive club?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2024

Others labeled the data center’s opponents, including groups like CFFC, as anti-development elitists who intimidated the project’s supporters into silence.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 15, 2023

In a land of vinyl sickos, Spotify normies, and Winamp elitists, Wade Nixon, the man behind the incredibly popular YouTube channel “DankPods,” stands alone with a pair of MP3-playing Oakley sunglasses.

From The Verge ● Jun. 24, 2022

It would become a corporate-run dystopia, an overpriced theme park for wealthy elitists.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---