snob
Snob (noun) means a person who looks down on others they consider to have lower taste, status, or refinement. Example: “He's a total wine snob and won't drink anything under thirty pounds a bottle.”
How to use snob
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who acts superior because of their taste, wealth, or perceived class.
The popular idea that "snob" comes from Latin sine nobilitate ("without nobility") is a myth — it's a folk etymology with no real evidence.
Word forms
snobs plural
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
He's a total wine _____ and won't drink anything under thirty pounds a bottle.
Etymology
Originally 18th-century English dialect for "cobbler." It later came to mean someone of lower status trying to imitate the upper classes, and eventually flipped to mean someone who looks down on others — a shift popularized by William Thackeray's The Book of Snobs (1848).
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for snob
See all rhymes for snob →Frequently asked questions
What does “snob” mean?
The word “snob” means a person who looks down on others they consider to have lower taste, status, or refinement. In plain terms, someone who acts superior because of their taste, wealth, or perceived class.
How do you pronounce “snob”?
“Snob” is pronounced snob (/snɑb/ in IPA).
How do you use “snob” in a sentence?
Here is “snob” used in a sentence: “He's a total wine snob and won't drink anything under thirty pounds a bottle.”
What part of speech is “snob”?
“Snob” is a noun.
Where does the word “snob” come from?
The word “snob” dates back to around 1848.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include snob: