snobbery

American  

[snob-uh-ree] / ˈsnɒb ə ri /

noun

plural

snobberies

1. snobbish character, conduct, trait, or act.

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Etymology

Origin of snobbery

First recorded in 1825–35; snob + -ery

Explanation

Use the noun snobbery when you talk about someone's habit of treating other people as inferior. If your friend doesn't want to associate with people who have less money than she does, it's proof of her snobbery. Snobbery is an unattractive trait caused by a person's belief that he or she is inherently better than others. Most snobbery has to do with social class and the idea that someone who has more money or went to a fancier school is worthier than someone who doesn't have these advantages. The root of snobbery is snob, which in 1800's British slang meant "person of the lower classes," but changed over time to mean "one who despises those considered inferior."

Example Sentences

Robinson believes "football snobbery" is behind some of the reluctance to embrace set-pieces as a potential game-changer.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Bertrand Degat, vineyard manager for French zero-alcohol wine producer French Bloom, winces visibly when recalling some of the criticism and snobbery he has encountered from his contemporaries.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

Out of context, that quote may lend weight to the strain of snobbery that wrote off “Blood and Sand” before the plot found its footing, which it did after its introductory episodes.

From Salon • Dec. 7, 2025

Eliot got it from the start, but in Woolf’s case bafflement joined forces with snobbery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

But stripped of the luxury of snobbery, the two became thick as the thieves they now were, at least according to the Third Reich.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• arrogance
• pretension