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snobbishness

snobbishness

1 7.4
A way of behaving like you are better than other people because of money or class
  • noun
  • /ˈsnɑːbɪʃnəs/
  • Offensive
translation icon : snobismo
  • His constant snobbishness made it difficult for him to make genuine friends.

Examples

  • She couldn't hide her snobbishness towards anyone who didn't have an Ivy League education.

  • It did not have the old American history and snobbishness of Harvard.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • In the halls of my university (right here in Florida), a certain snobbishness against this culture persisted.

    Blog text (12)
  • If she sometimes displayed an unexpected degree of snobbishness, she was down-to-earth in the things that mattered.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The concerns about "inbreeding," "isolation," "pressure," and "snobbishness," previously raised in regard to the accelerated program, were now associated with enriched classes.

    Academic text (1990)
  • While many art professionals viewed the cultural fight in terms of protecting artistic freedom and First Amendment rights, most Americans saw it as being about excesses in artists' behavior and arts institutional snobbishness concerning the public's right to know and to challenge the appropriateness and moral tone of some publicly supported art.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Non-whites have avoided the GOP in droves due to a perception of bigotry, snobbishness, and exclusivity promoted by the Party itself and recently exemplified by the condescending concept of the 47%.

    Blog text (11)
  • The snobbishness exhibited at the gala made many guests uncomfortable.

Synonyms

superiority
vssnobbishness
33 6.1

Acting or feeling that you are better than other people and making them feel small

focuses on social class and manners rather than general personal belief
condescension
vssnobbishness
16 7.9

An attitude that shows someone feels more important than others

is the broader feeling of superiority rather than the specific patronizing act
snobbery
vssnobbishness
  • Offensive
12 6.3

An attitude of thinking you are better than others because of wealth or class

focuses on the same class-based superiority but as a general attitude
pretentiousness
vssnobbishness
  • Offensive
2 7.7

Acting like you are more important or more educated than you really are

is the underlying belief of being socially superior rather than showy display
haughtiness
vssnobbishness
1 7.9

A way of acting that shows you think you are better than other people

is the social superiority idea but can be less emotionally cold
elitist attitude
vssnobbishness
1 7.5

A way of thinking that makes you feel better than others and makes you treat them as less important

covers personal social superiority even when exclusion is not central
snobbism
vssnobbishness
  • Offensive
1 8.4

Being someone who thinks they are better than people with less money or social position and looks down on them

is the common term for that same social superiority attitude
snootiness
vssnobbishness
1 8.1

A way of behaving that shows you think you are better than other people

is similar but stresses social ranking over refined showiness
snottiness
vssnobbishness
1 8.1

Rude behavior that shows you think you are better than others

is about social superiority rather than general rudeness or contempt
superciliousness
vssnobbishness
9.8

Behaving as if you are better than other people

is the broader attitude of feeling superior without always showing a patronizing manner
uppityness
vssnobbishness
  • Informal
9.9

A way of acting as if one is better than other people

is the general belief of being superior rather than the behaving aspect
uppishness
vssnobbishness
  • Informal
9.2

Acting as if more important or better than other people

is the same superiority belief but not only about outward manner
disdainfulness
vssnobbishness
8.8

A feeling that you are better than other people

is more about ranking people socially than pure contempt
condescendingness
vssnobbishness
8.9

Treating people as if they are less smart or important

is the general superiority attitude without necessarily polite masking

Antonyms

105 3.8

Being modest and not thinking you are better than other people

27 3.5

Not being proud or bragging about your abilities

How Snobby

haughtiness
1 7.9
snobbishness
  • Offensive
1 7.4
pretentiousness
  • Offensive
2 7.7

Surface Forms

snobbishness singular

Morphology

snobbishness = snobbish (transparent) = snob + ish + ness

Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ness' to 'snobbish', producing an abstract noun for the already clear adjective.

Etymology

Snobbishness comes from snob (a person who looks down on others) plus the endings -ish and -ness, which give the idea 'having the quality of'. A helpful way to remember it is to picture someone acting like they are 'better than others', and that is why snobbishness means behaving as if you are superior.