Meaning & use
snobbish
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Behaving as if you are better than other people because of your taste, money, or social class.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after linking verbs like be, seem, sound.
Patterns
- snobbish about something
- a snobbish attitude
- snobbish towards someone
He was snobbish about the restaurants he chose, refusing to eat anywhere without a famous chef.
She gave a snobbish smile when I said I had never been to the opera.
The club has a snobbish reputation and rarely accepts new members from the town.
Word forms
| comparative | more snobbish |
|---|---|
| superlative | most snobbish |
Common combinations
- snobbish attitude
- His snobbish attitude made it hard for him to make friends at work.
- snobbish about
- She is snobbish about which brands she wears.
- sound snobbish
- I don't want to sound snobbish, but I only drink fresh coffee.
- snobbish towards
- The older students were snobbish towards anyone from a state school.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arrogant
- Arrogant means feeling generally superior and is not limited to taste or class; snobbish is specifically about social or cultural superiority.
- condescending
- Condescending describes treating others as less important, often in a patronizing way, while snobbish focuses on looking down on people because of taste or status.
- elitist
- Elitist suggests supporting a system that favors a small group; snobbish is more about personal behavior and attitude.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: snobbish or snobby?
snobbish vs snobby
Snobby is an informal variant of snobbish and is common in everyday speech; snobbish is more formal and preferred in writing.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'snobbish' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Snobbish means looking down on others because of taste or status; 'beneath him' fits that idea. Option 0 is about showing off, not superiority. Option 2 confuses it with 'excited'. Option 3 is about personal achievement, not social superiority.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “snobbish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.