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Synonyms

high society

American  

noun

  1. society.

high society British  

noun

    1. the upper classes, esp when fashionable

    2. ( as modifier )

      her high-society image
"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

Etymology

Origin of high society

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

By then, she’d put her knack for winking impressions of high society divas to stunning use in “Beetlejuice” as Delia Deetz, a haughty stepmother and artist whose gargantuan ego dwarfs her talent.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026

The 70-room mansion dates back to 1895, when it was built for business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt II, who was one of the most prominent members of high society during that era.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 8, 2025

Benton plays Peggy Scott on the HBO drama, set in New York high society in the late 1800s.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

It reveals an American elite blinded to outrages occurring in plain view, due to the clubby nature of high society.

From Slate • Nov. 20, 2025

Over time, as inherited wealth smoothed the rough edges, their descendants morphed into American high society and evolved a signature style of living based on understatement and old- fashioned patrician values.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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.