glitterati
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of glitterati
Explanation
Many people tune in to the Academy Awards and other big international events mainly to watch the glitterati — the movie stars and other wealthy celebrities decked out in their glamorous, stunning gowns and tuxedos. The term glitterati was coined in the 1940s as kind of a mocking word for a new kind of celebrity famous more for a glamorous public image than for any real achievement. The word is a blend of the English word glitter — something that's flashy, sparkly, and dazzling — and a word borrowed from Italian, literati, which refers collectively to an elite, cultured class of academics, artists, and writers. The glitterati, in contrast to the literati, are admired more for their sparkle and glamor than for their intellectual or artistic grandeur.
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.
Canada is Canada, the keeper and class of the sport, and they were favored to win this final, as they had in 2010 and 2014, the last time these games were contested by NHL glitterati.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
In the 1980s he hosted the glitterati of Pakistan at the festival and invited the media to cover it to raise its profile.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026
Not surprisingly, John and Yoko quickly ensconce themselves among the nation’s glitterati, making vital connections with the likes of "yippie" founder Jerry Rubin, Black Panther Bobby Seale and poet Allen Ginsberg.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2025
The initial period of Aardvark Letterpress becoming a studio whose services are prized among glitterati clientele like Oprah Winfrey and art galleries and fashion houses, however, was not so smooth.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2024
In the twenty-four years since the Langley laboratory had started operation, the glitterati of the aeronautical world had made pilgrimages to Hampton.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
