as in aristocracies
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class
the winners of this science award represent the elite of our high schools
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Recent Examples of elites
Sliwa dismissed both Bloomberg and his GOP critics as out-of-touch elites.
—
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Only Martin — cast as a Dickensian wretch by Bonitzer’s legion of myopic elites, but always quietly acting against type — reserves the right to determine his own worth.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
The allure is, of course, obvious — a private members’ club for creative elites with chic hotels and restaurants scattered across major international cities.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Howard-Browne has promoted conspiracy theories, including that Hollywood elites sacrifice children.
—Scott Wartman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Oct. 2025
That has created tension for runners who don’t qualify as elites and can’t afford bibs bundled with travel packages that cost thousands of dollars.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2025
That ethos united elites across borders, ethnicities, and languages, forging a powerful consensus in favor of independence.
—Amaka Anku, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2025
German elites, particularly the aristocrats who dominated the country’s military, industry, and bureaucracy, loathed the Weimar Republic.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Their society was hierarchical, with those below the caciques known as the nitaínos (elites), behiques (perhaps shamans), and the naborías (usually servants and commoners).
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Only Martin — cast as a Dickensian wretch by Bonitzer’s legion of myopic elites, but always quietly acting against type — reserves the right to determine his own worth.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
The allure is, of course, obvious — a private members’ club for creative elites with chic hotels and restaurants scattered across major international cities.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Howard-Browne has promoted conspiracy theories, including that Hollywood elites sacrifice children.
—Scott Wartman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Oct. 2025
That has created tension for runners who don’t qualify as elites and can’t afford bibs bundled with travel packages that cost thousands of dollars.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2025
That ethos united elites across borders, ethnicities, and languages, forging a powerful consensus in favor of independence.
—Amaka Anku, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2025
German elites, particularly the aristocrats who dominated the country’s military, industry, and bureaucracy, loathed the Weimar Republic.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Their society was hierarchical, with those below the caciques known as the nitaínos (elites), behiques (perhaps shamans), and the naborías (usually servants and commoners).
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elites
Noun
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But according to a new analysis by Climate Central, climate change is threatening the optimal conditions that help elite runners break world records and amateurs achieve their personal bests.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
27 Oct. 2025
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The Wilsons enjoyed their first Easter as a family of six, with everyone donning their Sunday best.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The transformation of how humans exchange ideas, tell stories, develop relationships, conduct business, and organize societies.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
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Her primary areas of study are hunter-gather societies, technological change, and human-material interactions most broadly.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who was the vice president-elect at the time, was evacuated from the DNC building when the first bomb was found.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Oct. 2025
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The State of Arizona sued the House of Representatives on Tuesday over Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to not swear in Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva until after the government shutdown ends.—
Lauren Peller,
ABC News,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elites.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elites. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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