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Glite Dictionary
👥 Not privileged 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Ordinary people
non-elite

non-elite

1 4.2
Not belonging to the top or most powerful group
  • adjective
  • /nɒn-ɪˈliːt/
: no elitista
  • The event was open to both elite and non-elite participants.

Examples

  • Many non-elite athletes train just as hard as professionals.

  • The scholarship is available to non-elite students from all backgrounds.

  • The non-elite students often feel overlooked in class.

  • Many non-elite athletes compete for fun, not fame.

  • The scholarship is available to non-elite students from all backgrounds.

  • Many non-elite athletes train just as hard as professional competitors.

  • The event was open to both elite and non-elite participants who wanted to showcase their skills.

Synonyms

plebeian
vsnon-elite
2 7.9

Typical of ordinary people rather than the rich or powerful

is broader meaning simply ordinary and not socially privileged
non-U
vsnon-elite
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Not typical of upper class language or manners and often used by middle class people

is wider meaning simply ordinary rather than a language or manners label
nonprivileged
vsnon-elite
1 6.5

Not having extra rights or advantages compared to others

is about ordinary social standing rather than legal or formal rights
nonaristocratic
vsnon-elite
6.8

Not from the rich upper class

is about lacking privilege in general rather than only class membership
nonnoble
vsnon-elite
7.1

Not from a noble family or class

is broader meaning ordinary or not privileged beyond just noble status

Antonyms

elite
234 4.7

A small group of the most powerful or rich people in a society

How Elite

elite
234 4.7
privileged
118 4.8
ordinary
681 1.0
non-elite
1 4.2
marginal
2 8.1

Surface Forms

non-elite positive

Morphology

non-elite = elite (transparent) = non + elite

The negative prefix 'non-' straightforwardly negates 'elite', producing an adjective meaning 'not elite' that learners can derive.

Etymology

Non-elite breaks into non- meaning 'not' and elite meaning 'chosen' or 'the best'. So, a non-elite person or group is 'not among the chosen', meaning ordinary or not part of the top people.