aristocrat

aristocrat — noun

1. someone from a noble family with inherited high social position, especially in s

1.nounC1
Definition

someone from a noble family with inherited high social position, especially in societies with titles and land

Example

The young aristocrat greeted the guests in her family's country house.

collocation: young aristocrat

During the revolution, many aristocrats left Paris and hid in small towns.

plural form: aristocrats

Common collocations
  • young aristocrat
  • French aristocrat
  • Russian aristocrat
  • landed aristocrat
  • aristocrat with a title
Synonyms
  • noble

    a broader word for someone from the titled upper class

  • nobleman

    specifically male and often more historical in tone

  • noblewoman

    specifically female and often used in historical contexts

  • patrician

    more formal and can also suggest upper-class manner or style

Antonyms
  • commoner

    someone outside the noble class

  • peasant

    a much lower social rank in older class systems

Grammar Patterns

an aristocrat

young aristocrat

aristocrat with a title

Usage Note

Often appears with details about family background, title, land, or nationality. In modern English, it usually points to noble status, not simply to being rich or having expensive tastes.

Common Mistakes

The actor is an aristocrat because he earns a lot of money.
The actor is rich, but he is not an aristocrat.
aristocrat is about noble birth or title, not simply having money.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For this sense, aristocrat is a general word for a person from the noble upper class, especially when the exact title is unknown or unimportant. Noble is close in meaning, but it is broader and can also be an adjective. Nobleman is more specific because it refers to a male member of that class and often sounds more historical. Lord is different again: it is usually a title, not a general class label, so not every aristocrat is called lord in the same context. Use aristocrat when you want to focus on social rank rather than one named title. A novel may follow a young Russian aristocrat, while a newspaper might report that a lord inherited the family estate.

aristocrat ↗noble ↗nobleman ↗lord ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • an aristocrat with a title
  • born an aristocrat
  • a young aristocrat

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Aristocrat came into English through French from Greek words linked to the idea of rule by the best people. Over time, the English noun came to mean a person belonging to the noble class rather than the political system itself.