snob

See also: Snob and snöb

English

Etymology

Late 18th century dialectal English snob (“cobbler”), of unknown origin. Early senses of the word carried the meaning of "lower status;" it was then used to describe those seeking to imitate those of higher wealth or status. Folk etymology derives it from the Latin phrase sine nobilitate (“without nobility”), but early uses had no connection to this.

The modern sense was popularized by William Makepeace Thackeray in The Book of Snobs (1848).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: snŏb, IPA^(key): /snɒb/
• (General American) enPR: snŏb, IPA^(key): /snɑb/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒb

Noun

snob (plural snobs)

1. (informal, derogatory) A person who wishes to be seen as a member of the upper classes and who looks down on those perceived to have inferior or unrefined tastes. [from 20th c.]
   • 1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Four Fists”, in Flappers and Philosophers:

     Outside of his own set he was considered rather a snob, but as his set was the set, it never worried him.

   • 1958, Arnold Wesker, Roots:

     If wanting the best things in life means being a snob then glory hallelujah I'm a snob.

2. (colloquial) A cobbler or shoemaker. [from 18th c.]
   • 1929, Frederic Manning, The Middle Parts of Fortune, Vintage, published 2014, page 57:

     The snobs were also kind to him, and gave him a pair of boots which they assured him were of a type and quality reserved entirely for officers […]

3. (dated) A member of the lower classes; a commoner. [from 19th c.]
   • 1842 December – 1844 July, Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1844, →OCLC:

     'D'ye know a slap-up sort of button, when you see it?' said the youth. 'Don't look at mine, if you ain't a judge, because these lions' heads was made for men of taste: not snobs.'

   • 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 31, in The History of Pendennis. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:

     I like better gin-and-water than claret. I like a sanded floor in Carnaby Market better than a chalked one in Mayfair. I prefer Snobs, I own it.

   • 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     I tell you, sir, that I have a brain of my own, and that I should feel myself to be a snob and a slave if I did not use it.

4. (archaic) A workman who works for lower wages than his fellows, especially one who will not join a strike (a scab).
5. (Cambridge University) A townsman, as opposed to a gownsman.

   Synonym: cad

Coordinate terms

• posh
• social climber
• nouveau riche

Derived terms

• snobbery, snobbism
• snobbish
• snobby
• snobbiness
• snobbishness
• snobbishly
• snob effect
• snob value

Translations

person who seeks to be a member of the upper classes

• Arabic: (indefinite) مُتَعَالٍ m (mutaʕālin), (definite) المُتَعَالِي m (al-mutaʕālī)

  Egyptian Arabic: متعالي (muta3alii)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 勢利眼／势利眼 (shìlìyǎn)

• Czech: snob (cs) m
• Danish: snob c
• Dutch: snob (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: snobo
• Finnish: snobi (fi), hienostelija (fi), keikari (fi)
• French: snob (fr) m or f
• German: Snob (de) m, Wichtigtuer (de) m, Schnösel (de) m, Schickimicki m
• Greek: σνομπ (el) m or f (snomp), ψηλομύτης (el) m (psilomýtis), ακατάδεκτος (el) m (akatádektos)
• Hebrew: סנוב m (snob)
• Hungarian: sznob (hu)
• Icelandic: snobb n
• Italian: snob (it) m or f
• Japanese: スノッブ (sunobbu)
• Macedonian: сноб m (snob)
• Maltese: pepè, mnieħru mxammar m, mnieħirha mxammar f
• Maori: ihu tū, whakaparanga
• Persian: فخرفروشی
• Polish: snob (pl) m
• Portuguese: esnobe (pt) m or f (Brazil), snobe m or f (Portugal)
• Romanian: snob (ro) m
• Russian: сноб (ru) m (snob), зазна́йка (ru) m (zaznájka)
• Scottish Gaelic: sodalan m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сно̏б m

  Roman: snȍb (sh) m

• Slovak: snob m
• Spanish: esnob (es) m or f, fresa f (Mexico), pijo (es) m, pituco (es) m, siútico (es)
• Swedish: snobb (sv) c
• Turkish: snop (tr), züppe (tr)

See also

• hobnob (verb) (a social climber element has often existed with both terms' senses)

Further reading

• snob on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “snob”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “snob”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• BN(O)s, BNOs, BSON, bo's'n, bos'n, bosn, nobs

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔp

Noun

snob m (plural snobs, diminutive snobje n)

1. snob

Anagrams

• bons

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /snɔb/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

snob (plural snobs)

1. snobbish, snobby
   • 1954, “J’suis snob”, performed by Boris Vian:

     J’suis snob… J’suis snob / C’est vraiment l’seul défaut que j’gobe

     I'm a snob… I'm a snob / It's really the only fault I can stomach having

Descendants

• → Romanian: snob
• → Turkish: snop

Noun

snob m or f by sense (plural snobs)

1. snob

   C’est un snob.

   He's a snob.

Derived terms

• snober
• snobinard
• snobisme
• snobissime

Further reading

• “snob”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• bons

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English snob.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈznɔb/
• Rhymes: -ɔb
• Hyphenation: snòb

Noun

snob m (invariable)

1. snob

Adjective

snob (invariable)

1. snobbish

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /snɔp/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔp
• Syllabification: snob
• Homophone: snop

Noun

snob m pers (female equivalent snobka)

1. snob (person who seeks to be a member of the upper classes)

Declension

Declension of snob

	singular	plural
nominative	snob	snoby/snobi
genitive	snoba	snobów
dative	snobowi	snobom
accusative	snoba	snobów
instrumental	snobem	snobami
locative	snobie	snobach
vocative	snobie	snoby/snobi

Derived terms

noun

• snobizm

 

verbs

• snobizować
• snobować

 

Related terms

adjective

• snobistyczny

 

adverb

• snobistycznie

 

Further reading

• snob in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• snob in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Noun

snob m or f by sense (plural snobs)

1. Alternative form of snobe

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French snob.

Adjective

snob m or n (feminine singular snobă, masculine plural snobi, feminine and neuter plural snobe)

1. snobbish

Declension

Declension of snob

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	snob		snobă	snobi	snobe
	definite	snobul		snoba	snobii	snobele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	snob		snobe	snobi	snobe
	definite	snobului		snobei	snobilor	snobelor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /snôb/

Noun

snȍb m (Cyrillic spelling сно̏б)

1. snob

Declension

Declension of snob

	singular	plural
nominative	snȍb	snòbovi
genitive	snoba	snobova
dative	snobu	snobovima
accusative	snoba	snobove
vocative	snobe	snobovi
locative	snobu	snobovima
instrumental	snobom	snobovima

Slovak

Etymology

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsnɔp/

Noun

snob m anim (genitive singular snoba, nominative plural snobi, genitive plural snobov, declension pattern of chlap)

1. snob

Declension

Declension of snob

	singular	plural
nominative	snob	snobi
genitive	snoba	snobov
dative	snobovi	snobom
accusative	snoba	snobov
locative	snobovi	snoboch
instrumental	snobom	snobmi

Derived terms

• snobka
• snobský
• snobsky
• snobstvo

Further reading

• “snob”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024