aristocracy
The nobility, or the hereditary ruling class.
Other meanings
Government by such a class, or a state with such a government.
A class of people considered (not normally universally) superior to others.
Synonyms
- nobility
Related words
- antiaristocracy
- black aristocracy
- bunyip aristocracy
- codfish aristocracy
- labour aristocracy
- aristocracy of labor
- aristocracy of labour
- labor aristocracy
Word history
From Ancient Greek "ἀριστοκρατίᾱ" (the rule of the best“, that is, “the best-born”, “nobility).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “aristocracy” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.