aristocracy

play

noun ar·is·toc·ra·cy \ ˌa-rə-ˈstä-krə-sē , ˌer-ə- \

Definition of aristocracy

plural aristocracies

1 :government by the best individuals or by a small privileged class

2 a :a government in which power is vested (see ²vest 1a) in a minority consisting of those believed to be best qualified

b :a state with such a government

3 :a governing body or upper class usually made up of a hereditary nobility

a member of the British aristocracy

4 :a class or group of people believed to be superior (as in rank, wealth, or intellect)

an intellectual aristocracy

See aristocracy defined for English-language learners

See aristocracy defined for kids

Examples of aristocracy in a Sentence

a member of the aristocracy
at one time in China only the aristocracy could own land

Recent Examples of aristocracy from the Web

This is a divide and conquer strategy by the white aristocracy.

— lee roop, AL.com, "Huntsville police separate pro- and anti-Confederate memorial protesters," 19 Aug. 2017
In our time, such concerns have often been refracted through the lens of progressivism, which has sought to replace a plutocratic aristocracy with a bureaucratic one.

— nr symposium, National Review, "It’s Summer, Time to Catch Up on Your Reading — A Symposium," 31 July 2017
The common and easy narrative has it that well-to-do American students head to St. Andrews with cynical motivations: to hobnob with the European aristocracy and maybe bag a prince.

— howard swains, Town & Country, "How Scotland's University of St. Andrews Became a Top American School," 24 July 2017
This would not be disagreeable to the kaiser, who wishes for a restoration of the aristocracy almost as much as his delusional wife (Janet McTeer) does.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "WWII drama 'The Exception' offers old-fashioned intrigue, romance," 5 July 2017
Trump was never a member of New York’s real-estate aristocracy.

— suzanna andrews, The Hive, "Is the White House Now Just Another Trump Inc. Subsidiary?," 19 June 2017
On her father’s side, the family was descended from German aristocracy.

— alan cowell, New York Times, "Patricia Knatchbull, a Grande Dame of Britain’s Elite, Dies at 93," 14 June 2017
De Preposulo’s high-profile Italian family still uses the titles count and countess, although Italy no longer recognizes the aristocracy.

— jenni miller, The Cut, "Jessica Chastain Got Married in Italy," 11 June 2017
The documentary is based on letters and communiqués — Tilda Swinton is the voice of Bell — that follow her from the aristocracy and drizzle of Yorkshire, England, to the scoured, arid expanses of tribesmen, Bedouins and sheikhs.

— jeffrey fleishman, latimes.com, "'Letters from Baghdad' doc reveals the desert adventures of Gertrude Bell," 8 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aristocracy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aristocracy

Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French aristocratie, from Late Latin aristocratia, from Greek aristokratia, from aristos best + -kratia -cracy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1561

See Words from the same year

aristocracy Synonyms

Synonyms

elite, gentility, gentlefolk (also gentlefolks), gentry, nobility, patriciate, quality, upper class, upper crust

Antonyms

proletarians, proletariat

Related Words

A-list, beau monde, beautiful people, café society, Four Hundred (or 400), glitterati, haut monde (also haute monde), jet set, society; carriage trade, plutocracy

Near Antonyms

commoners, (the) crowd, (the) masses, peasantry, peonage, (the) people, plebeians, plebs, (the) populace, (the) public, rank and file; bourgeoisie, middle class, working class; dregs, (the) herd, (the) mob, rabble, rabblement, riffraff, scum, trash

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

ARISTOCRACY Defined for English Language Learners

aristocracy

play

noun

Definition of aristocracy for English Language Learners

: the highest social class in some countries : the people who have special titles (such as duke and duchess ), who typically own land, and who traditionally have more money and power than the other people in a society