upper-class

42 4.3

Belonging to the richest and most powerful people in society

adjective
/ˈʌpər klæs/

: de clase alta

The predominantly White, middle- to upper-class sample limits generalizability to other racial and socioeconomic groups.
upper-class woman
upper-class family
upper-class neighborhoods

He was a patronizing upper class WASP gentleman.

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Examples

Have you ever read a testimony more faithful to the stereotype of British upper-class intellectual dottiness?

Academic text (1998)
In a very real sense, middle and upper-class cultures in the United States get the universities they deserve.

Academic text (1993)
The story of the judgment would have been well known to most upper-class Romans.

Academic text (2012)
Access to cable is also clearly related to class, since cable is most available in upper-class neighborhoods.

Academic text (1991)
As in many parts of the world, consuming beef often marks the boundary between upper-class homes and the poor.

Academic text (2008)
Both of them looked as though they belonged to a young woman, a well-groomed, upper-class young woman.

Fiction book (2002)
Throughout her childhood and youth, she lived in a comfortable upper-class, cosmopolitan family with artistic and literary interests.

Academic text (1999)
But Charlton seems to have catered to an upper-class crowd.

Academic text (2011)
From an upper-class background, Darrin Drozdov was an unlikely candidate.

Beyond the Mat (1999)
Many upper-class families in the city enjoy exclusive membership at private clubs.

Synonyms

high-class

vsupper-class

35 5.8

Showing elegant, expensive style that makes someone seem richer or more important

is about actual high social or economic standing rather than just appearance

aristocratic

vsupper-class

20 7.2

Like people from rich, important families who have high social rank

is broader, applying to any top social or economic group

highborn

vsupper-class

Literature

2 7.5

A person from a noble or upper-class family

is about high social or economic status regardless of family origin

upper-crusty

vsupper-class

Offensive

1 9.3

Showing the attitude of a rich person who thinks they are better than others

is neutral term for high social or economic status without snobbish tone

Antonyms

lower-class

13 3.5

People who have little money, little education, or low social status

How Wealthy

elite

234 4.7

upper-class

42 4.3

middle-class

309 3.2

working-class

110 3.4

lower-class

13 3.5

Surface Forms

upper-class positive

upper-classer comparative

upper-classest superlative

Morphology

upper-class = upper + class (transparent) = upper + class

The adjective 'upper' and the noun 'class' combine directly to denote a higher social class, which learners can derive from the components.

Etymology

Upper-class comes from upper meaning 'higher' and class meaning 'group' or 'rank', as in 'first class' on a plane. So, upper-class means the 'higher' part of society that usually has more money, status, or special privileges.