up·per-class
ˌə-pər-ˈklas 
-ˈkläs
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the highest social class in a society
: a social class occupying a position above the middle class and having the highest status in a society
Examples of upper-class in a Sentence
Adjective
upper-class boys who had an entrenched sense of entitlement
Noun
a popular pastime among the upper classes
a member of the upper class
Recent Examples on the Web
Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Two upper-class wives, their husbands away for the day, share a few toasts to their pre-marital dalliances – with the same man, who just may be en route from France to visit.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Countries that qualify as banana republics, typically Latin American ones, tend to have an economy dependent on a single commodity, a large and exploited working class, and a tiny upper class with a stake in that commodity, which gets to enjoy the fruits of the poor’s labor.
—Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upper-class
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Adjective
In one heartbreaking plot, a poor mother gives away her son, August, to the upper-class industrialists who employed her now deceased husband.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Two upper-class wives, their husbands away for the day, share a few toasts to their pre-marital dalliances – with the same man, who just may be en route from France to visit.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
Not only that, but the population was booming, the extreme opulence of the upper class contrasted sharply against the harrowing poverty found in the slums, the Romantic movement was flourishing, and the middle class was emerging.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Countries that qualify as banana republics, typically Latin American ones, tend to have an economy dependent on a single commodity, a large and exploited working class, and a tiny upper class with a stake in that commodity, which gets to enjoy the fruits of the poor’s labor.
—Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upper-class
Cite this Entry
“Upper-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upper-class. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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