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

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Etymology

Origin of aristocrat

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

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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

Another group member is aristocrat David Lascelles, the Earl of Harewood, whose family has close links to the royal family.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

The zeppelin design, which placed individual gas-filled containers within a rigidly framed outer envelope, was invented around the turn of the 20th century by Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a German aristocrat and general.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The French aristocrat who had joined the American revolutionary cause visited the U.S. in 1824.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Golden retrievers were bred by aristocrat Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, who wanted a gun dog suited to Scottish Highland terrain.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

The young aristocrat and his friend Gustave de Beaumont had been dispatched by their government in 1831 with the specific mission of examining America’s rumored-to-be-innovative prisons.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

This agri-stocracy ruled over a part of California equivalent in size to the state of New Jersey, yet like “Downton Abbey” British aristocrats, they were rich in acreage but hard up for cold hard cash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

They and other actors and aristocrats were visitors to the Scarborough Tunny Club, founded in the 1930s and which survives today as a fish and chip restaurant.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Among them was the academy’s annual summer party, themed after 18th-century Georgian pleasure gardens — Britain’s oil-lamp-lit outdoor venues where aristocrats, the newly rich and everyday revelers gathered to see, be seen and behave badly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Jewish by birth, Disraeli was a departure from the aristocrats and country gentlemen whose party he refashioned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

For now I just let Thomas navigate me around the crowds of generals and aristocrats.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

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Related Words

• noble

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