up·per-class
ˌə-pər-ˈklas 
-ˈkläs
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the highest social class in a society
: a social class occupying a position above the middle class and having the highest status in a society
Examples of upper-class in a Sentence
Adjective
upper-class boys who had an entrenched sense of entitlement
Noun
a popular pastime among the upper classes
a member of the upper class
Recent Examples on the Web
Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Two upper-class wives, their husbands away for the day, share a few toasts to their pre-marital dalliances – with the same man, who just may be en route from France to visit.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026
Anyone who’s survived to 2026 knows the upper class’ fictitious fantasies still carry real, wretched consequences for the rest of us, but Season 4 plays out those ongoing scenarios to the nth degree, while condensing them into an appreciable narrative arc.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upper-class
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Adjective
In one heartbreaking plot, a poor mother gives away her son, August, to the upper-class industrialists who employed her now deceased husband.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Two upper-class wives, their husbands away for the day, share a few toasts to their pre-marital dalliances – with the same man, who just may be en route from France to visit.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
Originally introduced in Europe from Central Asia in the 19th century, cashmere was reserved for royals and the upper class.
—InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026
Anyone who’s survived to 2026 knows the upper class’ fictitious fantasies still carry real, wretched consequences for the rest of us, but Season 4 plays out those ongoing scenarios to the nth degree, while condensing them into an appreciable narrative arc.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upper-class
Cite this Entry
“Upper-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upper-class. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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