snob

UK: /ˈsnɒb/ US: /snɑb/ ,(snob)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

snob /snɑb/   n. [countable]

1. one who tries to act like those higher in social rank or who admires such people too much and scorns others.
2. one who believes himself or herself to have superior tastes and is scornful of those with different tastes:
   an intellectual snob.

snob•ber•y, snob•bish•ness, n. [uncountable]
snob•bish, adj. 
snob•by, adj., -bi•er, -bi•est. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

snob  (snob), n. 

1. a person who imitates, cultivates, or slavishly admires social superiors and is condescending or overbearing to others.
2. a person who believes himself or herself 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.

• 1775–85; origin, originally uncert; 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

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

snob / snɒb/ noun

1. a person who strives to associate with those of higher social status and who behaves condescendingly to others
2. (as modifier): snob appeal
3. a person having similar pretensions with regard to his or her tastes, etc: an intellectual snob

Etymology: 18th Century (in the sense: shoemaker; hence, C19: a person who flatters those of higher station, etc): of unknown origin

ˈsnobbery noun

ˈsnobbish adjective

ˈsnobbishly adverb

ˈsnobbily adverb