elit·ist
i-ˈlē-tist 
ē-
ā-
ē-
ā-
plural elitists
1
: one who is an adherent of elitism : one whose attitudes and beliefs are biased in favor of a socially elite class of people
On many issues, they seem to be populists rather than elitists—believers that people can make decisions for themselves better than elites can.—
Michael Barone
Michael BaroneDerided by elitists as phony, the … movement is spontaneous, decentralized, frequently amateurish and sometimes shrill.—Karl Rove
Karl Rove2
: a person who is or regards himself or herself as a member of a socially elite group
He's too rich, too polished—he's an elitist in a party that has become home to disaffected white, working-class voters.—Joe Klein
Joe KleinHe was an elitist, who esteemed himself better than Americans from most classes of the population.—Louis Filler
Louis Filler
a
: giving special treatment and advantages to wealthy and powerful people
elitist colleges
an elitist country club
Cosmetic surgery is still mostly an elitist preoccupation …—Toni Bentley
Toni Bentley
b
: regarding other people as inferior because they lack power, wealth, or status : snobbish
an elitist snob
elitist classmates
Examples of elitist in a Sentence
Adjective
the complacent, elitist attitude of the members at that suburban country club
Recent Examples on the Web
Kevin M. Schultz, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
An entire industry that’s devoted to convincing white people that liberal elitists look down on them.
—Rebecca Solnit
november 19, Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2020
John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025
The Royal Cinque Ports experience was pared-back to say the least, but entry was free, a positive move for a sport sometimes criticised as elitist and inaccessible.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 2 July 2025
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Noun
And without defenders, enemies redefined liberals, first as out-of-touch elitists, then as allies of corporations ignoring the demands of working people, and eventually, today, as woke snowflakes.
—Kevin M. Schultz, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
An entire industry that’s devoted to convincing white people that liberal elitists look down on them.
—Rebecca Solnit
november 19, Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2020
Adjective
Roth has long argued that some parts of the higher education system are elitist and condescending.
—John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025
The Royal Cinque Ports experience was pared-back to say the least, but entry was free, a positive move for a sport sometimes criticised as elitist and inaccessible.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elitist
Cite this Entry
“Elitist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elitist. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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