aristocracy

[ar-uh-stok-ruh-see]

noun

plural

aristocracies 

1. a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility.

2. a government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class.

3. government by those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.

4. a governing body composed of those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.

5. any class or group considered to be superior, as through education, ability, wealth, or social prestige.

aristocracy

/ ˌærɪˈstɒkrəsɪ /

noun

1. a privileged class of people usually of high birth; the nobility

2. such a class as the ruling body of a state

3. government by such a class

4. a state governed by such a class

5. a class of people considered to be outstanding in a sphere of activity

aristocracy

1. A privileged, primarily hereditary ruling class, or a form of government controlled by such an elite.

Traditionally, the disproportionate concentration of wealth, social status, and political influence in the aristocracy has been resented by the middle class and lower class.

Other Word Forms

• antiaristocracy adjective
• proaristocracy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of aristocracy¹

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French aristocratie, from Medieval Latin aristocracia, aristocratia, from Greek aristokratía “rule of the best”; equivalent to aristo- + -cracy

Word History and Origins

Origin of aristocracy¹

C16: from Late Latin aristocratia, from Greek aristokratia rule by the best-born, from aristos best; see _-cracy

Example Sentences

Most convicts had been found guilty of theft, with many being repeat offenders, but some were deported for crimes as petty as trampling on the turnips of the local aristocracy.

From BBC

Unlike “old money” aristocracy, they have an inkling of what it’s like to struggle.

From Salon

It came in as a refreshingly new concept: a more relaxed club for creators, thinkers and creative entrepreneurs, who might have felt like they didn't belong in the enclaves of the old aristocracy.

From BBC

He explains that Tom Cruise’s Maverick represents the “more traditional American values of meritocracy over aristocracy amid what was supposed to be a cultural revolution intended to set up a new inverted aristocracy.”

From Salon

We had, after all, explicitly rejected the idea of an aristocracy and built our entire national mythology around the idea that you could make something of yourself no matter what the circumstances of your birth.

From Salon

Related Words

• elite 
• gentility 
• gentry 
• nobility 
• upper class 
• upper crust