aristocrat

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /əˈrɪstəˌkræt/ UK /ˈærɪstəˌkræt/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a member of the nobility or hereditary ruling class

The exiled aristocrat still carried himself with effortless hauteur.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a member of the nobility or... noble nobleman peer patrician grandee lord

Opposites

commoner plebeian peasant proletarian

Word family

Derived forms aristocraticaristocratism

Related forms aristocracy aristocratic

Etymology

A back-formation from aristocracy, from French aristocratie, from Greek aristokratia ('rule by the best'), from áristos ('best') and krátos ('power, rule').

áristos Ancient Greek krátos Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

# aristocrat

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** əˈrɪstəˌkræt
**IPA (UK):** ˈærɪstəˌkræt

## Meanings
1. a member of the nobility or hereditary ruling class

## Examples
- The exiled aristocrat still carried himself with effortless hauteur.

## Synonyms
- noble
- nobleman
- peer
- patrician
- grandee
- lord

## Antonyms
- commoner
- plebeian
- peasant
- proletarian

## Derived Forms
- aristocratic
- aristocratism

## Related Forms
- aristocracy
- aristocratic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: áristos
- Root: krátos

## Etymology
A back-formation from aristocracy, from French aristocratie, from Greek aristokratia ('rule by the best'), from áristos ('best') and krátos ('power, rule').

## AI Etymology
aristocrat is a back-formation from aristocracy, from French aristocratie, from Greek aristokratia ('rule by the best'), from áristos ('best') and krátos ('power, rule'). The path is chiefly one of transmission: an older form is taken into English, with the word's shape and meaning carried through the language names and forms preserved in the history. In modern use, the noun sense is "a member of the nobility or hereditary ruling class", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as aristocracy, aristocratic and derivatives such as aristocratic, aristocratism, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Ancient Greek áristos, Ancient Greek krátos, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- People & Society

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aristocrat

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