aristocracy
24
7.2
- noun
- /ˌærɪˈstɒkrəsi/
:
aristocracia
- It was a long standing challenge to the aristocracy of of Rome.
- hereditary aristocracy
- landed aristocracy
- agrarian aristocracy
Chicago has no royalty, no aristocracy, no walls.
- Chicago has no royalty, no aristocracy, no walls.
- And so we've got these noble people, an aristocracy, imposing themselves upon others.
- Why this one person and not a democracy or at least an aristocracy of sorts?
- OK, so they say when the aristocracy catches a cold, the working class dies of pneumonia.
- Geniuses are not the first born sons of the wealthy or the aristocracy.
- The residential environment surrounding the Plus Royal was for the French aristocracy and the Royal Court.
Examples
-
Society in Britain came to have two levels, French speaking aristocracy and old English speaking peasants.
-
Solon's Constitution reduce the power of the old aristocracy by making wealth rather than birth a criterion.
-
I just think if it worked for the Queen and it worked for the British aristocracy, then it can work for me.
-
France would have an aristocracy, but it would also have elections.
-
You stand to lose all that the aristocracy has gained over the centuries.
Fiction book (1992) -
Are the aristocracy fleeing the country?
-
In a rapidly expanding industrial society, moral primacy had shifted from the aristocracy to the urban middle class.
Academic text (1993) -
The terms of this remaking were clear: reform governance and overturn the aristocracy.
Academic text (2017) -
No longer will our blood, sweat and toil line the pockets of the avaricious aristocracy and the landowners.
-
The aristocracy often hosted lavish parties that highlighted their wealth and status.
Synonyms
258
4.7
A small group of the most powerful or rich people in a society
15
3.4
A social group with the most money and power
15
3.4
A small group of people who control the government and have most money
15
6.2
People who have inherited titles and special rights
9
5.0
A small group of people with more money, power, or education than others
9
4.2
A group of rich, fashionable people with social influence
5
6.8
A small group of the richest and most important people in society
3
8.9
A group of people with noble titles in the United Kingdom
3
9.9
A class of people born into high social position who have special rights
1
9.9
A privileged group with social and political power
A group of noble lords in a kingdom
Antonyms
Compounds
- Offensive
A joking Australian phrase for people who act like they are richer and more important than others
How Elite
24
7.2
15
6.2
14
8.4
516
2.0
18
6.0
157
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
aristocracy = aristocrat (semi-transparent) = aristo + crat + y
The word can be understood as a learned extension of 'aristocrat' to denote the class itself, but the classical elements and specialized social meaning make the connection only partly obvious.
Etymology
The word aristocracy comes from Greek parts aristos meaning 'best' and kratos meaning 'rule' or 'power'. So it originally meant 'rule of the best', which is why today aristocracy refers to the highest social class of people seen as the 'best' who have wealth and power.