as in aristocratic
of high birth, rank, or station
an interior designer who has intimate knowledge of the tastes of her upper-crust clientele
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in aristocracy
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class
the conference was a gathering of the upper crust of the computer programming industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nobility
the highest class in a society
a specialty clothing store for the upper crust
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 upper-crust
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
The two-story house became the tiny town’s version of a ski resort, sans the steep prices and upper-crust snobbery.
—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
13 Mar. 2026
Besides, he’s already got a first name that sounds like a last name, signifying the American upper crust.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upper-crust
Adjective
Quentin Tarantino's ultraviolent World War II fantasy gave the Austrian-German actor his villainous breakout role as Hans Landa, a Nazi baddie with an upper-crust cultural side.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
The two-story house became the tiny town’s version of a ski resort, sans the steep prices and upper-crust snobbery.
—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
Two leagues that are deeper but don't have that really thick upper crust would be the Big 10 and the SEC.
—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
13 Mar. 2026
Besides, he’s already got a first name that sounds like a last name, signifying the American upper crust.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upper-crust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upper-crust
Adjective
-
The Sound and The Fury Told by four narrators in a stream of consciousness writing style, this 1929 story describes the downfall of a wealthy Southern aristocratic family, the Compsons.
-
Because of previous demand, over 20,000 people had been employed in buckle manufacture in the Birmingham area, but when this aristocratic fashion suddenly collapsed in 1786 on the eve of the French Revolution, their trade collapsed along with it.
Noun
-
Then, as things started to change politically in England, there was the beginning of that feeling of an uprising by the serfs against the aristocracy and the landowners, and this cultural hero rocking the boat and stealing from the rich to give to the poor started to be birthed.
-
The Order used to be limited to the aristocracy, but members are now selected from a variety of backgrounds in celebration of their public service, with both men and women welcomed.
Noun
-
But as far as nobility in football goes, Lagerbielke is a rare player to make it this far in their career, with a bright future seemingly still ahead.
-
This piece of jewelry, worn by Princess Elisabeth, was a wedding gift from the Belgian nobility to Mathilde on the occasion of her wedding in 1999.
Noun
-
The most productive game of his career came in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, with personal bests of 157 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions.
-
In all, Enhanced said there were 14 personal bests set by 12 athletes, all of them swimmers and weightlifters.
Noun
-
And the formal attire of the upper class continues to define the strict dress code today.
-
In the nineteenth century, upper class American women who had leisure time and literacy became really into keeping floral calendars to note when wildflowers bloomed.
Noun
-
Unlike Plato, Antisthenes did not believe that true knowledge of virtue, justice, and related concepts can be understood only by a select intellectual elite.
-
Social change tools once reserved for elites — academics, think tanks, publishers, media moguls — were now on everyone’s phones.
Noun
-
His objections were financial and social: Constable had no steady income, and his family was not gentry.
-
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.
Noun
-
But his situation is actually fairly complicated, in part because of how the Hall of Fame elects candidates.
-
Lyons had joined Fiserv that January as president and CEO-elect.
Cite this Entry
“Upper-crust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upper-crust. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
