elitist

1 of 2

noun

elit·​ist i-ˈlē-tist How to pronounce elitist (audio) ē- How to pronounce elitist (audio) ā- How to pronounce elitist (audio)
plural elitists
1
: one who is an adherent of elitism : one whose attitudes and beliefs are biased in favor of a socially elite class of people
On many issues, they seem to be populists rather than elitists—believers that people can make decisions for themselves better than elites can.Michael Barone
Derided by elitists as phony, the … movement is spontaneous, decentralized, frequently amateurish and sometimes shrill.Karl Rove
2
: a person who is or regards himself or herself as a member of a socially elite group
He's too rich, too polished—he's an elitist in a party that has become home to disaffected white, working-class voters.Joe Klein
He was an elitist, who esteemed himself better than Americans from most classes of the population.Louis Filler

elitist

2 of 2

adjective

: of or relating to elites or elitism: such as
a
: giving special treatment and advantages to wealthy and powerful people
elitist colleges
an elitist country club
Cosmetic surgery is still mostly an elitist preoccupation …Toni Bentley
b
: regarding other people as inferior because they lack power, wealth, or status : snobbish
an elitist snob
elitist classmates

Examples of elitist in a Sentence

Adjective the complacent, elitist attitude of the members at that suburban country club
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Unlike Democrats and Republicans in America, and even on Capitol Hill, partisans that work in the swamp generally think like the other, according to Napolitan’s latest poll of America’s 1% elitists. Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 Oct. 2024 In his debut on the Democratic ticket this week, Walz wasted no time trying to paint Vance as an out-of-touch elitist. Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 8 Aug. 2024
Adjective
That’s precisely the musical tale told in ‘The End’ with this elitist family, as envisioned by director Joshua Oppenheimer. Tiffany Leigh, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024 Among them is Rager, an action horror pic centered on an elitist 444-year-old fraternity, which former Disney+ exec Sam Mannetti (WandaVision, Loki) has signed on to produce. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for elitist 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elitist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of elitist was in 1938

Dictionary Entries Near elitist

Cite this Entry

“Elitist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elitist. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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