as in exclusive
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1
as in aristocracy
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class
the winners of this science award represent the elite of our high schools
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nobility
the highest class in a society
the country's elite owned or controlled most of the wealth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elite
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Knueppel’s season has been elite.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
Made in Chelsea, which first aired in 2011, chronicles the personal and professional lives of the young, wealthy elite in the affluent West London neighborhoods of Belgravia, Chelsea, Fulham and Knightsbridge.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elite
Adjective
But the other part of the Heat’s recent defensive slippage is due to simply playing elite competition.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Knueppel’s season has been elite.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
The adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s book and the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale tells the story of Agnes’ coming of age as a member of Gilead’s elite.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
Made in Chelsea, which first aired in 2011, chronicles the personal and professional lives of the young, wealthy elite in the affluent West London neighborhoods of Belgravia, Chelsea, Fulham and Knightsbridge.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elite
Adjective
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Zara has just been accepted into both Mensa, a high-IQ society that recognizes the top 2% of the population, and Intertel, an even more exclusive group limited to the top 1%.—
Jasmine Viel,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But the rest of the aristocracy still favors sons over daughters.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2026
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On the show, Ha, a maid, meets Bridgerton, whose family is of high-ranking aristocracy, at a masquerade ball, where her identity is concealed by a mask.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Known as the Dragon Slayer, he’s often shown meditating, praying, waxing philosophical, and pontificating on nobility, integrity and honor.—
Pamela Chelin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Gamecocks are new-age nobility in women’s basketball.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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During a special legislative session, the governor was authorized to consolidate neighboring municipalities whose combined population reached at least 15,000, creating a first-class city.—
Elijah Winkler,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
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The day is observed with mourning, reflection and special church services.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But Pickens wants a long-term deal, and 2025 brought lots of career-bests for him in a contract year.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
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All these people in their Sunday best.—
Will Croxton,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The nobles and gentry—the billionaires of Tudor England—made fortunes from the reclaimed monastery lands and created a myth of Henry’s military strength and English pride.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Oct. 2025
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Parker will play Mary Washington, George’s strong willed mother, while Rodgers will play Sally Cary, the charming beauty of the Virginia gentry who first sees his potential.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Without better reporting, lawmakers and analysts will have to act with incomplete knowledge, essentially guessing effective tax rates based on limited and sometimes misleading reporting.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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By better understanding how the AAC organizes vocal output in budgerigars, researchers hope to gain new insights into human speech disorders, such as aphasia and Parkinson’s disease, which can impair a person’s ability to produce language.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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After Allegiance pushed across two runs in the top of the sixth, Grace Prep used singles by Liam Jaime and Buchanan with three walks that produced three runs and the game was called.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
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Read on for the top 10 in descending order.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elite. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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