snob
UK[snɒb]US[snɑːb]
n
a person who believes they are superior to others because of their social class, wealth, or taste in things like art or fashion.
n
a person who admires and tries to copy people of a higher social class or status.
Etymology
the origin of 'snob' is obscure and debated. it first appeared in late 18th-century english university slang, where a 'snob' was a person who was not a gentleman, such as a townsman or a shoemaker's apprentice. this meaning reversed dramatically in the 19th century, largely through the influence of william makepeace thackeray's writings, where a 'snob' became someone who vulgarly and obsequiously imitates or seeks the favor of those considered superior. the word's journey from denoting a commoner to describing a person with pretensions to superiority illustrates a fascinating inversion of social perception, capturing the anxiety and imitation inherent in class structures.
Analysis
the word 'snob' is a simplex word of uncertain origin. it does not break down into meaningful, reusable morphemes in modern english.
Examples
she was accused of being a wine snob who looked down on anyone who didn't appreciate expensive vintages.
he's such a snob that he refuses to shop at any store he considers beneath his status.
the club was full of intellectual snobs who dismissed popular fiction as trivial.