what is an aristocrat

Quick Scoop

An aristocrat is a person who belongs to the aristocracy, meaning a high- ranking social class that has traditionally included nobles or hereditary elites. The word can also be used more loosely for someone seen as refined, privileged, or “the best of its kind”.

Simple meaning

• In history, an aristocrat often meant someone with a noble title or from a noble family.

• In modern use, it can also describe people who act like members of a privileged class.

• In a broader sense, it can even mean something especially excellent, like “the aristocrat of clothing”.

Example

“She came from an old aristocratic family” means her family belonged to the social elite.

Related terms

• Aristocracy : the ruling or noble class.

• Noble : a person of high rank, often hereditary.

• Elite : a smaller, socially powerful group, though not always hereditary.

TL;DR

An aristocrat is usually a noble or member of a privileged upper class, but the word can also mean someone or something considered unusually distinguished.