as in aristocracies
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class
the winners of this science award represent the elite of our high schools
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Recent Examples of elites
But the immediacy of One Battle After Another—with its ICE-like detention camps, unlawful militias storming American streets, and elites who promote white supremacy in closed-door meetings—was intended to embellish the spirit of Vineland rather than undermine it.
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Rory Doherty, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
These upper-crust elites are ones we’re meant, at the end of the day, to sympathize with and root for.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
During colonial rule, Denmark discouraged the use of the Greenlandic language, as did some Greenlandic elites.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Initially targeting affluent travelers, Hollywood stars and business elites, the hotel now attracts a diverse clientele, including history enthusiasts, tourists and business travelers.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 24 Sep. 2025
The sport was founded in Santa Cruz, California, but thanks to Cookeville resident and 10-time CrossFit Games winner Rich Froning, many elites in the sport have gravitated to the region.
—Melonee Hurt, Nashville Tennessean, 14 Sep. 2025
Once, Russian elites considered turning East with great caution, preferring Europe for education, investment, vacations, and more.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Soon, film stars and Hollywood elites began making the trek from Los Angeles, with Greta Garbo leading the way.
—Jenny Peters, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
The sale is also notable given Hawaii's broader history of land purchases by Silicon Valley elites.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elites
Noun
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Course Difficulty Flat, straight courses without many hills favor personal bests.—
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Kyle Schwarber is in the midst of what may be the most explosive offensive season of his MLB career, already setting personal bests with 53 home runs and 128 RBI.—
Noun
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The great human cost involved in construction works, river maintenance, and canal building is a pervasive feature of all powerful societies right up to the modern era.—
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In the late 1830s, as a devastating financial crisis bankrupted antislavery societies across the North, the movement seemed splintered and powerless to keep up its petition pressure campaign.—
Noun
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With China, that still means a bigger bonus, and the freedom to secure it by nearly any means the board and management elect.—
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Representative-elect James Walkinshaw speaks to reporters in Fairfax, Virginia on September 5, 2025.—
Cite this Entry
“Elites.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elites. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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