snob

noun

ˈsnäb 

1

British : cobbler

2

: one who blatantly imitates, fawningly admires, or vulgarly seeks association with those regarded as social superiors

3

a

: one who tends to rebuff, avoid, or ignore those regarded as inferior

b

: one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of knowledge or taste

Synonyms

• snoot
• snot

Examples of snob in a Sentence

Most of the people in the club are snobs who look down on people who attended public schools.

Don't be such a snob.

Recent Examples on the Web

Lisette Olivera assumes the mantle as Jess Valenzuela, a history buff and puzzle snob working odd jobs in New Orleans and mourning the recent death of her mother. —Joshua Alston, Variety, 14 Dec. 2022

On their first day in town, treat your food snob to a fireworks show of Dallas at its most sophisticated. —Dallas News, 23 Mar. 2022

Channon was both kinds of snob: salivating round royalty, ever ready to put down anyone who, unlike himself, has never known the exquisite pleasure of sitting down to dinner between two Queens. —Joseph Epstein, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2023

The musical theater snob was eventually persuaded to attend a performance by a colleague, who scolded him for wanting to spend the night alone at his Silver Lake cottage home. —Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing snob

• anti-snob
• snob appeal
• snob value

Kids Definition

snob

noun

ˈsnäb 

1

: one who imitates, admires, or seeks association with those of higher social position

2

: one who looks down upon those felt to be less important

Etymology

from obsolete snob "a member of the lower classes," from a dialect word snob "cobbler, shoemaker"

Word Origin

Snob is an old word in English for "a cobbler, a person who makes or repairs shoes." Cobblers came to be thought of as representative of all of the working-class or lower-class people. In time the name snob came to be applied to the lower classes as distinguished from the nobility, the landowners, and the rich merchants. From its being used for any member of the lower class, snob soon came to mean "a person who pretends to be a member of a higher class, one who imitates the clothing, speech, and manners of the nobility." Nowadays the word means "anyone who acts as if he or she were better than others."