First Known Use: 1823
Dictionary
elite
noun \ā-ˈlēt, i-, ē-\
: the people who have the most wealth and status in a society : the most successful or powerful group of people
: a person who is a member of an elite : a successful and powerful person
Full Definition of ELITE
1
a singular or plural in construction : the choice part : cream <the elite of the entertainment world> b singular or plural in construction : the best of a class <superachievers who dominate the computer elite — Marilyn Chase> c singular or plural in construction : the socially superior part of society <how the French-speaking elite…was changing — Economist> d : a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence <members of the ruling elite> e : a member of such an elite —usually used in plural <the elites … , pursuing their studies in Europe — Robert Wernick>
2
: a typewriter type providing 12 characters to the linear inch
— elite adjective
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Origin of ELITE
French élite, from Old French eslite, from feminine of eslit, past participle of eslire to choose, from Latin eligere
Related to ELITE
- Synonyms
- A-list, aristocracy, best, choice, corps d'elite, cream, crème de la crème, elect, fat, flower, illuminati, pick, pink, pride, priesthood, prime, royalty, upper crust, cream of the crop, Hall of Fame
- Antonyms
- proletarians, proletariat
Rhymes with ELITE
accrete, aesthete, afreet, athlete, backbeat, backseat, backstreet, bedsheet, bench seat, big beat, bolete, box pleat, box seat, break beat, broadsheet, browbeat, buckwheat, bystreet, call sheet, car seat, cheat sheet, clipsheet, cloud street, cold feet, compete, compleat, complete, conceit, concrete, crabmeat, crib sheet, deadbeat, dead heat, dead meat, deceit, defeat, delete, deplete, discreet, discrete, disseat, downbeat, drop seat, drumbeat, dutch treat, effete, en suite, entreat, escheat, excrete, facete, Fleet Street, fly sheet, forcemeat, foresheet, four-peat, gamete, groundsheet, hard wheat, heartbeat, heat-treat, helpmeet, hoofbeat, hot seat, house seat, ice sheet, ill-treat, jump seat, kick pleat, love seat, mainsheet, Main Street, maltreat, mesquite, mincemeat, mistreat, offbeat, Ossete, petite, pink sheet, preheat, rap sheet, receipt, recheat, red heat, red meat, red wheat, regreet, repeat, replete, retreat, scratch sheet, secrete, side street, slip-sheet, soft wheat, spreadsheet, stand treat, swap meet, sweetmeat, tear sheet, terete, three-peat, through street, time sheet, unmeet, unseat, upbeat, vegete, volkslied, white heat
élite
,élitism
élite, élit·ism
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