A-list

See also: alist and A list

English

Alternative forms

• A list

Noun

A-list (usually uncountable, plural A-lists)

1. (chiefly US) An informal list of people in any of several categories (but especially in the entertainment industry) who are the most admired, desirable or bankable.
   • 2014 January 21, Hermione Hoby, “Julia Roberts interview for August: Osage County – 'I might actually go to hell for this…'”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review)‎^[1]:

     The film grossed $464 million worldwide, ensconcing her in the Hollywood A-list.

Adjective

A-list (not comparable)

1. (chiefly US) Best of the group; top.

   Antonym: Z-list

   Coordinate terms: B-list, C-list, D-list

   • 2007, Maximum PC, number Winter, page 3:

     DirectX 10 promises an almost obscene step up in the level of eye candy you can expect from an A-list game, which is the great news. The bad news is, you'll need a new videocard to get those gorgeous graphics.

   • 2021 September 15, Laura Martin, “How talent shows became TV's most bizarre programmes”, in BBC‎^[2]:

     By the 1980s, there was still huge appeal for what became known as 'shiny-floor' talent shows, especially during weekend primetime. In the US, Star Search ran for 12 years in its original run, from 1983 to 1995, and as searches went, it did genuinely uncover some A-list talent, including Destiny's Child, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morrisette and LeAnn Rimes.

   • 2023 October 6, Ryan Gilbey, “The double life of Rock Hudson: ‘Let’s be frank, he was a horndog!’”, in The Guardian‎^[3], →ISSN:

     Before his Aids diagnosis, he had been so many other things: A-list hunk, suave romcom star and all-round Mr America.

Derived terms

• A-lister

References

• Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “A-list”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 1.

Anagrams

• Itals, Talsi, itals, laits, litas, silat, stail, tails