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upper-crust 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of upper-crustnext
as in aristocratic
of high birth, rank, or station an interior designer who has intimate knowledge of the tastes of her upper-crust clientele

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

upper crust

2 of 2

noun

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nobility
the highest class in a society a specialty clothing store for the upper crust

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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
Adjective
Josh is married to Lindsay (Carey Mulligan), an upper-crust Brit who has all the external status markers that Josh lacks, but perhaps not his obsequious gifts or ambition. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026 Hamm plays a suburbanite who steals from his wealthy New York neighbors to maintain his upper-crust lifestyle. — ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
Link, whose real name is Dylan, helped to create Alex prior to the mass extinction event that sent the world's upper crust into Paradise. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Mar. 2026 One measurement among many that marks the Broncos’ ascent back to the NFL’s upper crust in recent years is the seemingly annual attempts to pillage Sean Payton’s coaching staff. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for upper-crust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upper-crust
  1. aristocratic
  2. aristocracy
  3. nobility
  4. best
  5. upper class
  6. elite
  7. gentry
  8. elect
Adjective
  • During the period known as the Xi (Western) Zhou dynasty (1046–771 bce), warfare had been dominated by aristocratic elites and chariot forces and was generally conducted by armies smaller than those of subsequent centuries.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Often, entrants include these alongside aristocratic and highbrow interests in a way that could reduce the appearance of snobbishness.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of aristocratic
Noun
  • My grandmother was from Mexican aristocracy, and her passion drove her to ditch her fiancé at the altar to marry my gringo grandad across the border.
    — Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
  • After this, there will be a lot of going back and forth across the Channel; crimes of the aristocracy; Darnay’s own Big Secret revealed; more trials, more imprisonments.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of aristocracy
Noun
  • There’s a nobility in providing some fan service to help immerse Oasis devotees who could not afford the outrageous ticket prices to attend the tour.
    — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Working as a portraitist, she was commissioned by university scholars and local nobility in Bologna, the Italian city where she was born.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of nobility
Noun
  • Benton had career bests in tackles (51), tackles for loss (6) and sacks (5 1/2) while helping the Steelers to the AFC North title.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of best
Noun
  • Both of them worked their way from working-class realities into the upper class.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But then for all his modernity as a playful father, the Darwins were members of the Victorian upper class.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of upper class
Noun
  • Heavier run packages negated Denver’s elite pass rush and unlocked a missing element of Kansas City’s attack.
    — Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • For the first time in a long time, the Chiefs have an elite running back in place.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of elite
Noun
  • 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
  • Grammer will play Lord Fairfax, the unofficial leader of the Virginia gentry who has a complicated relationship to young George Washington as both his crucial mentor and as the father of his romantic rival.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Definition of gentry
Noun
  • The governor-elect faced a fight over removing Nick Balletto, who had initially been dismissive of Lamont as a candidate, as the Democratic state chair.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2026
  • With energy prices moving higher in July so far, and recent strong statements on fighting inflation, markets see broadly a 1 in 3 chance that the FOMC elects to increase rates in July.
    — Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of elect

Browse Nearby Words

upperclassmen
upper-crust
upper crust
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Cite this Entry

“Upper-crust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upper-crust. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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