the elite
Society's top tier
The elite refers to a select group holding superior status, power, or ability within a larger population.
It implies exclusivity and privilege: the political elite, the elite of society.
The term often carries critical undertones, suggesting those at the top are out of touch with ordinary people: The elite don't understand working-class struggles.
Compare with simply *elite*, which functions as both noun and adjective without the article.
- polymathsBroadly knowledgeable scholars
- high societyThe social elite
- bourgeoisieCapitalist ownership class
- scholarsExperts in a field
- statesmenExperienced government leaders
aristocracy · virtuosos · oligarchy · landed gentry · silver spoon · auteurs · visionaries · upper class · monarchs · magnates · private equity · tycoons · luminaries · nouveau riche · Nobel laureates · meritocracy · diplomats · intelligentsia
the elitethe masses
Common populace collectively
the common people · commoners · the poor · the working class · the proletariat
elect, elite, eligible, elitist, elitism, elites, elitists, antielitist, antielitism