upper class

American  

noun

1. a class of people above the middle class, having the highest social rank or standing based on wealth, family connections, and the like.

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upper class British  

noun

1. the class occupying the highest position in the social hierarchy, esp the wealthy or the aristocracy

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adjective

1. of or relating to the upper class

2. education of or relating to the junior or senior classes of a college or high school

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• upper-class
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of upper class

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

“Poor people are as bad off as in the special period, but a segment of middle and upper class have access to dollars and are not in such bad shape, which causes real social tension.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

And Cooper's social circle now included some very upper class people indeed.

From BBC • Oct. 6, 2025

In many ways I feel more at home with those folks than I do with the white upper class and other elites who I often travel among personally and professionally.

From Salon • May 23, 2024

Seydoux, a Bonello veteran, is as wholly believable among the City of Lights’ upper class in 1910 as she is as a struggling actor a century later in the City of Angels.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2024

I intend to make myself necessary to the Derby family, while learning how the upper class lives.

From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• aristocracy
• jet set
• upper crust