English Meaning & Definitions
A person who regards their own tastes, wealth, or social position as superior to those of others and has an arrogant contempt for people they consider lower.
- “He is such a wine snob that he refuses to drink anything that costs less than fifty dollars a bottle.”
- “She used to be down-to-earth, but after moving to the city, she became a total social snob.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “snob”.
Originally appearing in the late 18th century in British university slang (specifically at Cambridge), 'snob' initially referred to a shoemaker or a townsman as opposed to a university student. By the early 19th century, the meaning shifted to denote a person of the ordinary or lower classes trying to imitate those of higher social standing. Soon after, popularized by William Makepeace Thackeray's 'The Book of Snobs' (1848), the term evolved to describe someone who has an exaggerated respect for high social status, wealth, or refined taste, and who looks down upon those perceived as inferior.
Think of a 'snob' as someone who turns up their *nose* (sn-) and looks *above* everyone else.
Frequently Asked Questions About “snob”
1. What is the meaning of “snob” in English?
In English, snob (noun) is defined as: “A person who regards their own tastes, wealth, or social position as superior to those of others and has an arrogant contempt for people they consider lower.”.
2. How do you use “snob” in a sentence?
“He is such a wine snob that he refuses to drink anything that costs less than fifty dollars a bottle.”
3. What are English synonyms of “snob”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “snob”?
Originally appearing in the late 18th century in British university slang (specifically at Cambridge), 'snob' initially referred to a shoemaker or a townsman as opposed to a university student. By the early 19th century, the meaning shifted to denote a person of the ordinary or lower classes trying to imitate those of higher social standing. Soon after, popularized by William Makepeace Thackeray's 'The Book of Snobs' (1848), the term evolved to describe someone who has an exaggerated respect for high social status, wealth, or refined taste, and who looks down upon those perceived as inferior.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.