aristocratic

adjective

aris·​to·​crat·​ic ə-ˌri-stə-ˈkra-tik 

(ˌ)a-ˌri-stə-, 

ˌa-rə-stə-

1

: belonging to, having the qualities of, or favoring aristocracy

an aristocratic family

aristocratic titles

2

a

: socially exclusive

an aristocratic neighborhood

b

: snobbish

3

: notably superior or excellent

In season she does an aristocratic lobster and asparagus salad with curry oil.

—R. W. Apple, Jr.

aristocratically

ə-ˌri-stə-ˈkra-ti-k(ə-)lē 

(ˌ)a-ˌri-stə-, 

ˌa-rə-stə-

adverb

Synonyms of aristocratic

• arrogant
• snobbish
• elitist
• snooty
• snobby
• ritzy
• snotty

Examples of aristocratic in a Sentence

the restaurant's cuisine is truly superb, but the maître d's aristocratic demeanor is a bit much

an impoverished dowager who never lets people forget about her aristocratic origins

Recent Examples on the Web

Here’s one book written by this aristocratic Thai woman almost 80 years ago. — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026

In it, a twelve-year-old boy, Cosimo, rebels against his aristocratic family, and the Enlightenment’s false divide between nature and culture, by climbing a holm oak and spending his life in the canopy. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

While Princess Diana became one of the world’s most famous royals after marrying King Charles in 1981, she was born into an aristocratic family herself. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 16 Aug. 2026

How anyone ever saw Fried as a holier-than-thou aristocratic formalist is beyond me. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French aristocratique, from Medieval Latin aristocraticus, from Greek aristokratikos, from aristokratia

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing aristocratic

• anti-aristocratic

Rhymes for aristocratic

• adiabatic
• asymptomatic
• axiomatic
• diagrammatic
• diaphragmatic
• electrostatic
• endolymphatic
• epigrammatic
• homeostatic
• idiomatic
• magnetostatic
• melodramatic