anti-elite
adjective
ˌan-tē-ā-ˈlēt 
-i-,
-ē-,
ˌan-tī-
: opposing the elite : anti-elitist
Ford rode a wave of anti-elite sentiment to power …—
Matt Ford and Rosa Smith
Matt Ford and Rosa SmithExamples of anti-elite in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To this day a lively, biting, macabre comedy that was controversial in its time (and banned in Franco-era Spain for its anti-elite subtext), yet its core themes still resonate with uncanny oracular power.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025
Broadly speaking, the Anti-Masons were an anti-elite party — populists of a sort, although not in the way that term would be used at the end of the 19th century.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Kennedy likes to frame his actions in the language of anti-elitism: the vaccines, in his estimation, are being pushed by an out-of-control Big Pharma establishment and therefore their restriction is inherently an anti-elite move.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025
In the United States, Trump effectively consolidated the center-right and far right into the Republican Party and twice won the presidency on an anti-elite message.
—Robert Petkoff Krish Seenivasan Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
In reaction to the excesses and ideological overreach of the Left, a meaningful portion of the Right will embrace figures deemed sufficiently anti-elite, anti-globalist, and anti-woke — regardless of the evidence against their character or integrity.
—Liam Siegler, National Review, 12 Mar. 2025
Populists have embraced popular and science-backed policies that align with an anti-elite stance.
—Dominik Stecuła, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
The case struck a chord on the left and populist right, tapping into the anti-elite sentiment and frustration with a health care system that many view as cruel and financially punitive toward patients.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2024
This second anti-elite revolt is already in the making.
—Edoardo Campanella, Foreign Affairs, 25 July 2024
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Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025
Broadly speaking, the Anti-Masons were an anti-elite party — populists of a sort, although not in the way that term would be used at the end of the 19th century.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Kennedy likes to frame his actions in the language of anti-elitism: the vaccines, in his estimation, are being pushed by an out-of-control Big Pharma establishment and therefore their restriction is inherently an anti-elite move.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025
In the United States, Trump effectively consolidated the center-right and far right into the Republican Party and twice won the presidency on an anti-elite message.
—Robert Petkoff Krish Seenivasan Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
In reaction to the excesses and ideological overreach of the Left, a meaningful portion of the Right will embrace figures deemed sufficiently anti-elite, anti-globalist, and anti-woke — regardless of the evidence against their character or integrity.
—Liam Siegler, National Review, 12 Mar. 2025
Populists have embraced popular and science-backed policies that align with an anti-elite stance.
—Dominik Stecuła, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
The case struck a chord on the left and populist right, tapping into the anti-elite sentiment and frustration with a health care system that many view as cruel and financially punitive toward patients.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2024
This second anti-elite revolt is already in the making.
—Edoardo Campanella, Foreign Affairs, 25 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Anti-elite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-elite. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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