aristocratic

adjective

aris·​to·​crat·​ic ə-ˌri-stə-ˈkra-tik 

(ˌ)a-ˌri-stə-,

ˌa-rə-stə-

1

: belonging to, having the qualities of, or favoring aristocracy

an aristocratic family

aristocratic titles

2

a

: socially exclusive

an aristocratic neighborhood

b

: snobbish

3

: notably superior or excellent

In season she does an aristocratic lobster and asparagus salad with curry oil.

—R. W. Apple, Jr.

aristocratically

ə-ˌri-stə-ˈkra-ti-k(ə-)lē 

(ˌ)a-ˌri-stə-

ˌa-rə-stə-

adverb

Synonyms

• elitist
• high-hat
• persnickety
• potty
• ritzy
• snobbish
• snobby
• snooty
• snotty
• toffee-nosed [chiefly British]

Examples of aristocratic in a Sentence

the restaurant's cuisine is truly superb, but the maître d's aristocratic demeanor is a bit much

an impoverished dowager who never lets people forget about her aristocratic origins

Recent Examples on the Web

Adapted from the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and set in 19th century Sicily, the film examines how to know when your time is over, as one aristocratic era ends and another begins. —Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2024

Mass unemployment could lead to an aristocratic life for all Balwit’s not the first to predict that AI will eliminate the need to work at all. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 4 June 2024

Why would a company as prestigious, as aristocratic, as Lafite Rothschild seek B Corp status? —Eric Asimov, New York Times, 3 June 2024

The first modern European explorer to visit this site was an aristocratic Pole named Karol Lanckoroński. —Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French aristocratique, from Medieval Latin aristocraticus, from Greek aristokratikos, from aristokratia

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing aristocratic

• anti-aristocratic