as in exclusive
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1
as in aristocracy
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class
the winners of this science award represent the elite of our high schools
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nobility
the highest class in a society
the country's elite owned or controlled most of the wealth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elite
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2026
And at Lick-Wilmerding High School, an elite private prep school in San Francisco, the parents won’t let their sons play Real Football.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
Filmed in black and white with a runtime lasting a little more than two hours, The Great Dictator ranks among the elite of Chaplin’s 81 films and is considered his most important satirical and cultural work.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elite
Adjective
Bidunga contributed elite help defense and rim protection.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2026
And at Lick-Wilmerding High School, an elite private prep school in San Francisco, the parents won’t let their sons play Real Football.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Noun
It was made possible by a strategic partnership with local elites, especially the armed forces, who already held considerable political influence in the Andean countries.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
Filmed in black and white with a runtime lasting a little more than two hours, The Great Dictator ranks among the elite of Chaplin’s 81 films and is considered his most important satirical and cultural work.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elite
Adjective
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Bill Walsh, the 49ers coach who died in 2007, called it Camelot, and exclusive footage and interviews over the years combined with the black-and-white photography of Michael Zagaris brought it all back to those fortunate enough to witness it.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2026
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The Bucklebury countryside is known for its thick woodlands, which add an extra layer of privacy to the exclusive area, attracting a less-flashy set.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Once the preserve of European aristocracy, the Romanée-Conti is now sought out by multi-millionaires at auction.—
Pin Yen Tan 9 min ago,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Quick bios have always played up Newsom’s close relationship (and business ties) with the heirs to the Getty oil fortune and links to San Francisco’s political aristocracy.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Sophie is wearing the dress of nobility.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
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Other camellia species were noted and grown for their flowers gracing gardens of temples and nobility.—
Dawn Pettinelli,
Hartford Courant,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And for the first time, the Puppy Bowl will spotlight senior dogs in a special halftime exhibition game between Team Oldies and Team Goldies.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Feb. 2026
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This year, Green Day will perform during a special opening ceremony to celebrate the Super Bowl's 60th anniversary.—
Catherine Messier,
The Providence Journal,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Winning gold in 1998 and bronze in 2006 was no fluke; the Czechs were right there in terms of roster quality with the best-of-the-best.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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There were old ladies’ sequin dresses and their Sunday best.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The nobles and gentry—the billionaires of Tudor England—made fortunes from the reclaimed monastery lands and created a myth of Henry’s military strength and English pride.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Oct. 2025
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Parker will play Mary Washington, George’s strong willed mother, while Rodgers will play Sally Cary, the charming beauty of the Virginia gentry who first sees his potential.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Without better reporting, lawmakers and analysts will have to act with incomplete knowledge, essentially guessing effective tax rates based on limited and sometimes misleading reporting.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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By better understanding how the AAC organizes vocal output in budgerigars, researchers hope to gain new insights into human speech disorders, such as aphasia and Parkinson’s disease, which can impair a person’s ability to produce language.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Olympians – athletes at the top of their sport and in prime health – are idolized and often viewed as superhuman.—
Emily Hemendinger,
The Conversation,
13 Feb. 2026
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Following the rally, Larson and Jeffries left for a fundraising dinner at The Foundry restaurant at the top of the Hartford Steam Boiler building, a frequent location for fundraisers when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to town.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elite. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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