in-crowd

American  

[in-kroud] / ˈɪnˌkraʊd /

Or in crowd

noun

Informal.

1. a small, exclusive group of people who are perceived as fashionable or influential.

   She desperately wanted to be part of the in-crowd.

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Etymology

Origin of in-crowd

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Stacy may have crushed on him first, but the sensible, lower-key Lydia has attracted him and can’t help but savor her newfound popularity with the elusive in-crowd.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2023

His reputation among the Federalist Society in-crowd seems to have survived.

From Salon • Jul. 8, 2022

And, for poignancy’s sake, she features a couple of new-money in-crowd wannabes who wound up losing their life savings to Cotten’s company, Quadriga CX.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2021

To be part of an in-crowd scandalized!!! by a disliked outsider’s behavior is a form of relief and release.

From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2021

Looking back today, what Denise Bombardier recalls most about the exchange is the scathing reception she then got from the Paris literary in-crowd.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2020

Related Words

• aristocracy
• celebrity
• establishment
• society