elitist

1 of 2

noun

elit·​ist i-ˈlē-tist  ē-  ā- 

plural elitists

1

: one who is an adherent of elitism : one whose attitudes and beliefs are biased in favor of a socially elite class of people

On many issues, they seem to be populists rather than elitists—believers that people can make decisions for themselves better than elites can.

—Michael Barone

Derided by elitists as phony, the … movement is spontaneous, decentralized, frequently amateurish and sometimes shrill.

—Karl Rove

2

: a person who is or regards himself or herself as a member of a socially elite group

He's too rich, too polished—he's an elitist in a party that has become home to disaffected white, working-class voters.

—Joe Klein

He was an elitist, who esteemed himself better than Americans from most classes of the population.

—Louis Filler

elitist

2 of 2

adjective

: of or relating to elites or elitism: such as

a

: giving special treatment and advantages to wealthy and powerful people

elitist colleges

an elitist country club

Cosmetic surgery is still mostly an elitist preoccupation …

—Toni Bentley

b

: regarding other people as inferior because they lack power, wealth, or status : snobbish

an elitist snob

elitist classmates

Synonyms

Adjective

• aristocratic
• high-hat
• persnickety
• potty
• ritzy
• snobbish
• snobby
• snooty
• snotty
• toffee-nosed [chiefly British]

Examples of elitist in a Sentence

Adjective

the complacent, elitist attitude of the members at that suburban country club

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In his debut on the Democratic ticket this week, Walz wasted no time trying to paint Vance as an out-of-touch elitist. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 8 Aug. 2024

Republicans capitalized on this trend by depicting Democrats as out-of-touch elitists who ignored those who did not live in urban centers such as Madison or Milwaukee. —Jonathan J. Kasparek, The Conversation, 4 June 2024

Adjective

That’s precisely the musical tale told in ‘The End’ with this elitist family, as envisioned by director Joshua Oppenheimer. —Tiffany Leigh, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024

Among them is Rager, an action horror pic centered on an elitist 444-year-old fraternity, which former Disney+ exec Sam Mannetti (WandaVision, Loki) has signed on to produce. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1943, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing elitist

• anti-elitist