aristocrat
noun
B. A. Botkin and Alvin F. Harlow
Did you know?
Since aristos means "best" in Greek, ancient Greeks such as Plato and Aristotle used the word aristocracy to mean a system of rule by the best people—that is, those who deserved to rule because of their intelligence and moral excellence. But this kind of "best" soon became something you could inherit from your parents. The United States has no formal aristocracy—no noble titles such as baron or marquis that stay in the family—but certain American families have achieved an almost aristocratic status because of the wealth they've held onto for generations.
Examples of aristocrat in a Sentence
Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
Alibert gained notoriety for her affair with the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor, in 1917 while he was stationed in Paris, and then for shooting dead her wealthy Egyptian aristocrat husband Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey in The Savoy Hotel in London in 1923.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 May 2026
Rossellini plays the formidable Madame de Noailles, an old-school aristocrat devoted to Marie Antoinette and haunted by a lost love.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 May 2026
What begins as a job centered on a single masterpiece slowly expands into a plan where the real target is not the painting itself, but the entire financial structure protecting a powerful aristocrat.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for aristocrat
Cite this Entry
“Aristocrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aristocrat. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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aristocrat
noun
