aristocrat

American  

[uh-ris-tuh-krat, ar-uh-stuh-] / əˈrɪs təˌkræt, ˈær ə stə- /

noun

aristocrats plural

1. a member of an aristocracy, especially a noble.

   Synonyms:

   lord, peer, patrician

2. a person who has the tastes, manners, etc., characteristic of members of an aristocracy.

3. an advocate of an aristocratic form of government.

4. anything regarded as the best, most elegant, or most stylish of its kind.

   the aristocrat of California wines.

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aristocrat British  

/ ˈærɪstəˌkræt /

noun

1. a member of the aristocracy; a noble

2. a person who has the manners or qualities of a member of a privileged or superior class

3. a person who advocates aristocracy as a form of government

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• aristocrats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aristocrat

First recorded in 1770–80; from French aristocrate, back formation from aristocratie aristocracy

Explanation

An aristocrat is someone from the ruling class, usually those with nobility, money, or both. Although not an aristocrat yourself, you may have the odd viscount on your family tree if you go back far enough. The word aristocrat comes from the Greek word aristokratia, which itself comes from the root words aristos, meaning "best," and kratos, meaning "rule." So, the aristocracy was the ruling class of (supposedly) the best and noblest people, and an aristocrat was a member of that class. Today the word can also be applied to anyone with superior standing: Count Basie was an aristocrat in the jazz world.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aristocrat aristocrats

Depicting the singer as a Baroque aristocrat clad in contemporary designer fashion, the portrait helped propel González onto an international stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

The buyback aristocrat strategy showed a hypothetical 14.5% annual return over 10 years, with only 13% tech weighting.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

On the other side sits Perez's own preference: the grand manager, the aristocrat of the touchline, someone whose presence alone commands respect in the dressing room.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

More recently, she played a parody of herself in the acclaimed series Call My Agent! alongside her daughter, actress Laura Smet, and a French aristocrat in the second Downton Abbey film.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

Alba was told that her father was a distinguished and intelligent aristocrat who had unfortunately succumbed to fever in the northern desert.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

An otherwise urban-dwelling sophisticate, he cultivated a rustic demeanor for France’s benefit, uncharacteristically donning a coonskin hat and simple clothes to impress cosseted aristocrats and ordinary Parisians alike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

The book is about colonisation and devastation, set against a backdrop of families left to die of starvation on estates owned by British aristocrats and landowners.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

If these aristocrats fall out of favor, look past accounting measures and consider paying what still looks like a high sticker price for that pedigree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

I think on the one hand he shared a problem with his entire world of aristocrats.

From Slate ● Mar. 2, 2026

Many aristocrats and wealthy merchants themselves played viols at home, too, sometimes combined in a duet with a plucked lute.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• noble