Nearby Words
noun, plural -cies.
1.
a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility.
2.
a government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class.
3.
government by those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
4.
a governing body composed of those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
5.
any class or group considered to be superior, as through education, ability, wealth, or social prestige.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To aristocracy
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Aristocracy
is always a great word to know.
So is accord. Does it mean:
| ruler who has authority or a state with sovereign authority |
| agreement |
Example Sentences
- The members of the aristocracy of mind produce ideas, and pass along knowledge.
- All that counted now was the aristocracy of exposure.
- These policies are something out of an aristocracy, not our democracy.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
aristocracy
1560s, from M.Fr. aristocracie (Mod.Fr. aristocratie), from L.L. aristocratia, from Gk. aristokratia "government, rule of the best," from aristos "best" (originally "most fitting," from PIE *ar-isto-, superlative form of *ar- "to fit together") + kratos "rule, power" (see
EXPAND -cracy). At first in a literal sense; meaning "rule by a privileged class" (best-born or best-favored by fortune) is from 1570s and became paramount 17c. Hence, the meaning "patrician order" (1650s). In early use contrasted with monarchy; after French and American revolutions, with democracy.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
aristocracy definition
A privileged, primarily hereditary ruling class, or a form of government controlled by such an elite.
Note: Traditionally, the disproportionate concentration of wealth, social status, and political influence in the aristocracy has been resented by the middle class and lower class.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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