snob
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Etymology
Late 18th century dialectal English snob (“cobbler”), of unknown origin. Early senses of the word carried the meaning of "lower status;" it was then used to describe those seeking to imitate those of higher wealth or status. Folk etymology derives it from the Latin phrase sine nobilitate (“without nobility”), but early uses had no connection to this.[1][2]
The modern sense was popularized by William Makepeace Thackeray in The Book of Snobs (1848).[3]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: snŏb, IPA(key): /snɒb/
- (General American) enPR: snŏb, IPA(key): /snɑb/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɒb
Noun
snob (plural snobs)
- (informal, derogatory) A person who wishes to be seen as a member of the upper classes and who looks down on those perceived to have inferior or unrefined tastes. [from 20th c.]
- 1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Four Fists”, in Flappers and Philosophers:
- Outside of his own set he was considered rather a snob, but as his set was the set, it never worried him.
- 1958, Arnold Wesker, Roots:
- If wanting the best things in life means being a snob then glory hallelujah I'm a snob.
- (colloquial) A cobbler or shoemaker. [from 18th c.]
- 1929, Frederic Manning, The Middle Parts of Fortune, Vintage, published 2014, page 57:
- The snobs were also kind to him, and gave him a pair of boots which they assured him were of a type and quality reserved entirely for officers […]
- (dated) A member of the lower classes; a commoner. [from 19th c.]
- 1842 December – 1844 July, Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1844, →OCLC:
- 'D'ye know a slap-up sort of button, when you see it?' said the youth. 'Don't look at mine, if you ain't a judge, because these lions' heads was made for men of taste: not snobs.'
- 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 31, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
- I like better gin-and-water than claret. I like a sanded floor in Carnaby Market better than a chalked one in Mayfair. I prefer Snobs, I own it.
- 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
- I tell you, sir, that I have a brain of my own, and that I should feel myself to be a snob and a slave if I did not use it.
- (archaic) A workman who works for lower wages than his fellows, especially one who will not join a strike (a scab).
- (Cambridge University) A townsman, as opposed to a gownsman.
- Synonym: cad
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Translations
person who seeks to be a member of the upper classes
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See also
- hobnob (verb) (a social climber element has often existed with both terms' senses)
References
- James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Snob”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.
- “snob”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
- Anatoly Liberman (2008 May 14) “Snob Before and After Thackeray”, in OUPblog
Further reading
snob on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - “snob”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “snob”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
Anagrams
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