crème de la crème

noun

ˈkrem-də-lä-ˈkrem How to pronounce crème de la crème (audio)
Definition of crème de la crèmenext
as in best
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class a list of titles that represents the crème de la crème of the multitude of books published over the past year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crème de la crème CalArts has always been there and is still the creme de la creme. — Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025 Paris is a hotel city—there's no shortage of good ones—but the Hotel George V is the creme de la creme. — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2025 Every year, the world’s leading rum experts gather to taste through the creme de la creme of the rum world. — Kate Dingwall, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024 The brand’s debut property in the Mexican Caribbean has received high praise in its first year, establishing itself as the creme de la creme of Tulum stays. — Dania Lucero Ortiz, Town & Country, 30 Aug. 2023 See All Example Sentences for crème de la crème
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crème de la crème
  1. best
  2. upper crust
  3. nobility
  4. choice
  5. cream
  6. quality
  7. pink
  8. priesthood
Noun
  • With the three-row Kia Sorento, the Hyundai Palisade retains the South Korean brands’ 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, both segment and industry bests.
    — James Raia, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Scott William Winters plays Clark, a Harvard student who Will intellectually bests.
    — Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026
Definition of best
Noun
  • Even outside of Law’s upper crust of prospects, the Dodgers have intriguing pieces such as right-hander Christian Zazueta who would fill in credibly as headliners for a trade.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • She’s being raised in upper crust Gilead society, tutored in a private girls’ school led by Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) for a potential prosperous husband, specifically one in the upper ranks of the military.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 27 May 2026
Definition of upper crust
Noun
  • The idea is to portray them with the same nobility and dignity as the figures of the great masters.
    — Robbie Griffiths, NPR, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Along the way, Brees stared NFL QB nobility in the face and took each player down one by one.
    — Larry Holder, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of nobility
Noun
  • In May, The Athletic exclusively reported that Mourinho was Perez’s choice to replace Alvaro Arbeloa as manager at the end of 2025-26.
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • As for metal, solid gold, whether yellow, white, or rose, remains the steadiest choice, aging with grace and holding its value across the years.
    — Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of choice
Noun
  • At Khaite, electric yellow pumps punched up creams and crisp whites.
    — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Beyond the patch, other options for estradiol delivery include pills, creams and sprays.
    — Beth Sobol, Flow Space, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of cream
Noun
  • The resumption of Saudi exports could help ease tight supply of heavier grades that produce more residue fuel which ⁠can be used to refuel ships or processed further at refineries, to yield higher quality fuels such as gasoline and diesel.
    — August 18, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The Blue Jackets have continued to add highly competitive talents, with Oscar Hemming providing another quality top-six option on the wing.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of quality
Noun
  • Popular old money manicure polishes include milky whites, deep reds, and semi-sheer pinks.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Scattered along the walls of the studio were tidy heaps of scarves and mesh, rainbows of stripes, every shade of ballet pink, Uggs of every height.
    — Claire Salinda, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of pink
Noun
  • Parsi priesthood is hereditary, meaning all the boys here have been born into priestly families.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
  • The ability to analyze, explain, forecast, and build no longer belongs exclusively to a technical priesthood.
    — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 16 June 2026
Definition of priesthood

Browse Nearby Words

cremating
crème de la crème
crepe
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crème de la crème.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cr%C3%A8me%20de%20la%20cr%C3%A8me. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All