status symbol

American  

noun

1. an object, habit, etc., by which the social or economic status of the possessor may be judged.

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status symbol British  

noun

1. a possession which is regarded as proof of the owner's social position, wealth, prestige, etc

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status symbol Idioms  

1. A position or activity that allows one's social prestige to be displayed, as in She doesn't even drive; that car of hers is purely a status symbol. [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

“The shiny, soft yet strong, luxurious material has been a status symbol for more than 2,000 years.”

From MarketWatch

The BMF may be a symbolic title but it has turned into a status symbol for the UFC's most exciting fighters.

From BBC

Not everything needs to be kitsch, dumbed down, or turned into a competitive status symbol, lest anyone take that as another excuse to care even less about the wrong things.

From Salon

But when it’s all said and done — when the pop-ups are torn apart and the “retail space for rent” signs are hung back in the window — what’s left is a fleeting status symbol, meant to be worn a few times for clout points.

From Salon

Yet it has found a growing fanbase in China: as an exotic gift exchanged among the affluent; a status symbol to be unboxed on social media; and the star of culinary heresies from durian chicken hotpot to durian pizza.

From BBC