patrician

1 of 2

noun

pa·​tri·​cian pə-ˈtri-shən 

plural patricians

1

: a member of one of the original citizen families of ancient Rome

2

a

: a person of high birth : aristocrat

one of the most nobly born of English patricians

—Sam Schulman

b

: a person of breeding and cultivation

a tall patrician … who looked as if she was accustomed to serving on boards and making important decisions

—J. A. Michener

patrician

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: of, relating to, having, or characterized by high birth, rank, or station : aristocratic

a patrician family

But coming from a long patrician line of New England gentry … he is vulnerable to the populist card that his rivals are playing hard.

—Peter Oborne

More common than middle-class organizations in the mid-nineteenth century, however, were the exclusive patrician male enclaves, such as Boston's Somerset club …

—Howard P. Chudacoff

b

: associated with or characteristic of people of high social rank

his patrician bearing

a stately, patrician residence

… they spent freely on virtually everything that could be acquired to accommodate a patrician life-style.

—Simon Schama

… some visitors may prefer the more patrician comfort of hotels in L'Aquila.

—Niccolò Vivarelli

2

: of or relating to a member of one of the original citizen families of ancient Rome

… his pride was gratified by the choice of Nomius and Anatolius, two ministers of consular or patrician rank …

—Edward Gibbon

Did you know?

A patrician was originally a descendant of one of the original citizen families of ancient Rome. Until about 350 B.C., only patricians could hold the office of senator, consul, or pontifex (priest). Later, the word was applied to members of the nobility created by the Roman emperor Constantine. As time went by, other nobles, such as those in medieval Italian republics and in German city-states, also came to be known as patricians. Today someone's appearance, manners, or tastes can be described as patrician, whether the person is actually of high birth or not. The actress Grace Kelly, an immigrant's daughter, was admired for her patrician beauty even before she became Princess Grace of Monaco, with classic features worthy of ancient Rome's finest sculptors.

Synonyms

Noun

• aristocrat
• blue blood
• gentle
• gentleperson
• noble

Adjective

• aristocratic
• blue-blooded
• genteel
• gentle
• grand
• great
• highborn
• highbred
• noble
• silk-stocking
• upper-class
• upper-crust
• wellborn

Examples of patrician in a Sentence

Noun

the Southern patricians who once resided in these stately plantation homes

Adjective

came from a patrician family

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But Trump is not the familiar breed of stuffy, patrician Republican. —Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 31 July 2024

Cyrus Vance, Carter’s patrician secretary of state, called for a coalition government between the shah and his opponents, which Khomeini curtly rejected. —Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 26 Feb. 2021

Adjective

Van Zweden has been a courteous concerto accompanist, and in January, with the pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, a soloist of patrician grace, Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto glowed, surging forward without feeling pressed. —Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 June 2024

Such positions, along with the pope’s easygoing manner, earned him a form of pop-cultural celebrity never sought or won by his immediate predecessor, the dour and patrician Benedict. —Maria Clara Bingemer, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English patricion, from Anglo-French patrician, from Latin patricius, from patres senators, from plural of pater father — more at father

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

patrician

noun

pa·​tri·​cian pə-ˈtrish-ən 

1

: a member of one of the original citizen families of ancient Rome

2

: a person of high birth or position : aristocrat

patrician adjective