patrician

American  

[puh-trish-uhn] / pəˈtrɪʃ ən /

noun

1. a person of noble or high rank; aristocrat.

2. a person of very good background, education, and refinement.

3. a member of the original senatorial aristocracy in ancient Rome.

4. (under the later Roman and Byzantine empires) a title or dignity conferred by the emperor.

5. a member of a hereditary ruling class in certain medieval German, Swiss, and Italian free cities.

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adjective

1. of high social rank or noble family; aristocratic.

2. befitting or characteristic of persons of very good background, education, and refinement.

   patrician tastes.

   Synonyms:

   stately, genteel, dignified

3. of or belonging to the patrician families of ancient Rome.

patrician British  

/ pəˈtrɪʃən /

noun

1. a member of the hereditary aristocracy of ancient Rome. In the early republic the patricians held almost all the higher offices Compare plebs

2. a high nonhereditary title awarded by Constantine and his eastern Roman successors for services to the empire

3. 1. a title borne by numerous princes including several emperors from the 8th to the 12th centuries

   2. a member of the upper class in numerous Italian republics and German free cities

4. an aristocrat

5. a person of refined conduct, tastes, etc

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adjective

1. (esp in ancient Rome) of, relating to, or composed of patricians

2. aristocratic

3. oligarchic and often antidemocratic or nonpopular

   patrician political views

Other Word Forms

• patricianhood
  noun
• patricianism
  noun
• patricianship
  noun
• prepatrician
  adjective
• unpatrician
  adjective
• patricianly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of patrician

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin patrīci(us) “having the rank of patrician, noble,” (equivalent to patr-, stem of pater “father” + -īcius adjective suffix) + -an; replacing late Middle English patricion, from Old French patricien; see origin at patr- ( def. ), -itious ( def. ), -an ( def. )

Explanation

That refined gentleman over there with the excellent manners, the elegant suit, and the beautiful home on Park Avenue? He’s a patrician, a member of the upper classes. In ancient Rome, the word patrician referred to members of the aristocracy, but its meaning has evolved to include those who belong to the upper classes. The adjective form of patrician describes things that are associated with the upper class, like a patrician assumption that all children should go to boarding school. Someone who enjoys refined dinners might be described as having patrician taste.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patrician

For many Americans, the nationally televised hearing was the first close look at the patrician, grey-haired former FBI director.

From Barron's ● Mar. 21, 2026

The Athenian patrician Thucydides began writing the history of his city’s conflict with Sparta even as the war was beginning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

It unfolds along the same lines as “The Perfect Couple” and “Nine Perfect Strangers,” both of which feature Nicole Kidman playing patrician enigmas — a trend that began with her turn in "Big Little Lies."

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025

A man who favored ascots, skeet shooting and jumping horses, Biden Sr. at times lived a more patrician lifestyle than his son’s folksy, working-man tales might suggest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2024

Richard Owen, the paleontologist who hovered over England’s natural historians like a patrician falcon, descended from the Royal College of Surgeons, to verify and catalog Darwin’s fossil skeletons.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• aristocratic