non-elite

adjective

ˌnän-ā-ˈlēt How to pronounce non-elite (audio)
-i-,
-ē-
: not elite
non-elite athletes
a non-elite college
non-elite noun
Within nations there exist hierarchies of minorities of elites (those who control resources and institutions) and large majorities of non-elites (ordinary citizens, who are poorer and less powerful). John A. Booth et al.

Examples of non-elite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There are countless examples of teams that have been burned when signing a non-elite goaltender to a substantial contract on the back of a career-best or close-to-career-best season, including Jack Campbell, Cal Petersen, Ville Husso, Joonas Korpisalo and Philipp Grubauer. Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025 So in the end, to the extent that the vote to deny the presidency to Harris reflected dissatisfaction with the Biden/Harris economic program, it was justified because non-elite Americans felt its effects in their wallet every single day. Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2024 Still, against non-elite competition this year, Illinois -- whose only losses this year came against No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State -- has been excellent. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024 Now, many top-tier travel credit cards include lounge access as a perk, even for non-elite frequent flyers. Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2024 The failing Russian state is increasingly fragmented between its center in Moscow and the periphery, elites and non-elites, and Russians and non-Russians. Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2016 Paradoxically, non-elite white people and Black people have more in common with each other than non-elite whites have in common with their elite. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 19 June 2024 For the premier membership, the annual price will increase from $550 to $650 for Alaska elite members and $650 to $750 for non-elite members in 2024. Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2023 JetBlue’s Mosaic elite members will earn 9 points per dollar on airfare booked through JetBlue Vacations packages, while non-elite TrueBlue members will earn 6 points per dollar. Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 6 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of non-elite was in 1937

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Cite this Entry

“Non-elite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non-elite. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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