aristocrat

noun aris·to·crat \ ə-ˈris-tə-ˌkrat , a- ; ˈa-rə-stə- \

Definition of aristocrat

1 :a member of an aristocracy; especially :noble

an aristocrat by birth

2 a :one who has the bearing and viewpoint typical of the aristocracy

b :one who favors aristocracy

3 :one believed to be superior of its kind

the aristocrat of Southern resorts
—Southern Living

See aristocrat defined for English-language learners

See aristocrat defined for kids

Examples of aristocrat in a Sentence

could trace his lineage to an English aristocrat of the 17th century

Recent Examples of aristocrat from the Web

In his celebrated novel The Leopard, Lampedusa tells the story of a Sicilian aristocrat, Don Fabrizio, who confronts an earlier kind of revolution - the unification of Italy, or Risorgimento - which threatens to turn his world upside down.

— chicagotribune.com, "Macron's revolution is over before it started," 14 Aug. 2017
Whether or not coloring was a fun activity for 17th century aristocrats, it was definitely seen as useful artistic training.

— merrill fabry, Time, "The Surprising Function of the First Coloring Books," 2 Aug. 2017
The story follows Giselle, a loving and naive peasant who is betrayed by Albrecht, her aristocrat lover who is betrothed to another.

— kathleen luppi, Daily Pilot, "Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company to make rare West Coast visit with 'Giselle' in Costa Mesa," 20 July 2017
The upstairs-downstairs drama of WWI-era aristocrats and the staff who catered to them played out in real life at Portland's Pittock Mansion.

— susan green, OregonLive.com, "Portland-area pets for adoption July 18 (photos)," 18 July 2017
Coming from a family of military aristocrats, he was commissioned as an officer at 13 years of age and joined the American cause as a 19-year-old general.

— kevin d. williamson, National Review, "A People without a King," 4 July 2017
Experts say the Rome ruins might be from an aristocrat’s home at the foot of the nearby Celian Hill or from a nearby military barracks, which itself had been explored in other excavations for the subway line.

— frances d'emilio, The Seattle Times, "Subway digging uncovers ‘Pompeii-like scene’ in Rome," 26 June 2017
Experts say the Rome ruins might be from an aristocrat's home at the foot of the nearby Celian Hill or from a nearby military barracks, which itself had been explored in other excavations for the subway line.

— frances d'emilio, Fox News, "Subway digging uncovers 'Pompeii-like scene' in Rome," 26 June 2017
Beatty was the dark prince of Hollywood, an aristocrat-rake living a life of excess and indulgence.

— lili anolik, VanityFair.com, "Warren Beatty, Pauline Kael, and an Epic Hollywood Mistake," 19 June 2017

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

Did You Know?

Since aristos means "best" in Greek, ancient Greeks such as Plato and Aristotle used the word aristocracy to mean a system of rule by the best people—that is, those who deserved to rule because of their intelligence and moral excellence. But this kind of "best" soon became something you could inherit from your parents. The United States has no formal aristocracy—no noble titles such as baron or marquis that stay in the family—but certain American families have achieved an almost aristocratic status because of the wealth they've held onto for generations.