snob

[ snob ]

noun

1. a person who imitates, cultivates, or slavishly admires social superiors and is condescending or overbearing to others.
2. a person who claims to be an expert or connoisseur in a given field and is condescending toward or disdainful of those who hold other opinions or have different tastes regarding this field:

   a musical snob.

snob

/ snɒb /

noun

1. 1. a person who strives to associate with those of higher social status and who behaves condescendingly to others Compare inverted snob
   2. ( as modifier )

      snob appeal

2. a person having similar pretensions with regard to his tastes, etc

   an intellectual snob

Derived Forms

• ˈsnobbishly, adverb
• ˈsnobbery, noun
• ˈsnobbishness, noun
• ˈsnobby, adjective
• ˈsnobbish, adjective

Other Words From

• an·ti·snob noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of snob¹

First recorded in 1775–85; origin uncertain; first used as a nickname for “a cobbler or cobbler's apprentice,” hence “a townsman, someone of low class or lacking good breeding, commoner,” hence ”someone who imitates persons of higher rank”

Word History and Origins

Origin of snob¹

C18 (in the sense: shoemaker; hence, C19: a person who flatters those of higher station, etc): of unknown origin

Example Sentences

The nerd suddenly morphed into a snob.

From Los Angeles Times

So the president’s opponents depicted him as a snob who dined on turtle soup and foie gras.

From Los Angeles Times

So I've always been a little literary snob.

From Salon

Wasn’t he really a snob, and a fop, and frivolous on serious occasions, as she had once told him during a quarrel?

From Literature

But he’s not a snob, telling Stephen Colbert that he has “no guilt” about being a fan of the “Fast and Furious” franchise.

From Los Angeles Times