Meaning & use
aristocracy
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The highest social class, made up of families with inherited titles and often great wealth and land.
Grammar: Often takes the: the aristocracy. Can be followed by a singular or plural verb in British English.
Patterns
- a member of the aristocracy
- the landed aristocracy
Members of the aristocracy once owned most of the land in the region.
His family belonged to the old aristocracy and lived in a country house.
The revolution swept away the aristocracy.
nouncountable or uncountableformal
A form of government in which a small, privileged group holds power.
Grammar: Used in political history and theory: Athens was not an aristocracy.
Patterns
- rule by an aristocracy
Ancient Sparta was ruled by a form of aristocracy.
Plato discussed the merits of an aristocracy.
The city-state became an aristocracy after the king was removed.
nouncountablefigurative
A group considered the best or most distinguished in a particular field.
Grammar: Used figuratively with of: the aristocracy of talent.
Patterns
- the aristocracy of something
Top chefs form a kind of aristocracy in the food world.
She belongs to the aristocracy of British actors.
The aristocracy of the tech world gathered at the conference.
Word forms
| plural | aristocracies |
|---|
Common combinations
- landed aristocracy
- The landed aristocracy owned vast estates.
- member of the aristocracy
- She was born a member of the aristocracy.
- the old aristocracy
- The old aristocracy resented the newly rich.
- titled aristocracy
- The titled aristocracy attended the royal ball.
- overthrow the aristocracy
- The rebels aimed to overthrow the aristocracy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nobility
- Nobility is a close synonym and stresses the inherited ranks and titles, while aristocracy also suggests wealth and influence.
- gentry
- Gentry means the class just below the nobility, with land but usually no title.
- elite
- Elite can describe any powerful or privileged group, not just one based on birth.
- peerage
- Peerage is a British term for those holding titles such as duke or baron, so it is narrower than aristocracy.
Opposites
Word family
- aristocrat noun
- a member of the aristocracy
- aristocratic adjective
- belonging to or typical of the aristocracy
- aristocratically adverb
- in a manner typical of the aristocracy
Commonly confused: aristocracy or autocracy?
aristocracy vs autocracy
Autocracy is rule by a single person with total power, whereas aristocracy is rule by, or the class of, a privileged few.
Practice
Which word is closest in meaning to aristocracy in the sense of a social class?
Choose one answer.
Nobility refers to the class holding inherited titles. Bureaucracy, democracy and autocracy are systems of government, not social classes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aristocracy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.