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
David Weigel, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The private remark reinforced a sense, even among conservatives, that the wealthy businessman was an out-of-touch elitist who was ready to write-off about half the country as indifferent to his economic agenda.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
Compared to other rap tours, YoungBoy’s stage design was more catered to the contemporary rap fan than to an elitist crowd.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elitist
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Those unions’ rank and file, increasingly, see Democrats as cultural elitists who look down on them and want to replace their jobs.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The private remark reinforced a sense, even among conservatives, that the wealthy businessman was an out-of-touch elitist who was ready to write-off about half the country as indifferent to his economic agenda.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Art doesn’t have to be exclusive or elitist.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
Compared to other rap tours, YoungBoy’s stage design was more catered to the contemporary rap fan than to an elitist crowd.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 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 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share