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.^[1]^[2]

The modern sense was popularized by William Makepeace Thackeray in The Book of Snobs (1848).^[3]

Pronunciation

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Audio (UK): (file)
Rhymes: -ɒb

Noun

snob (plural snobs)

(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.
(colloquial) A cobbler or shoemaker. [from 18th c.]
- 1929, Frederic Manning, The Middle Parts of Fortune, Vintage 2014, p. 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 […]
(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 men of taste: not snobs.'
- 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 31, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (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, The Poison Belt:
  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.
(archaic) A workman who works for lower wages than his fellows, or who will not join a strike.
(Cambridge University) A townsman, as opposed to a gownsman.
Synonym: cad

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

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: 勢利的人／势利的人, 势利的人 (shìlì de rén)
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
(deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
Italian: snob (it) m or f
Japanese: スノッブ (sunobbu)
Maltese: pepè, mnieħru mxammar m, mnieħirha mxammar f
Maori: ihu tū, whakaparanga
Persian: فخرفروشی
Polish: snob (pl) m
Portuguese: esnobe (pt) m or f
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

References

^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
^ “snob”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
^ Anatoly Liberman (2008 May 14) “Snob Before and After Thackeray”, in OUPblog‎^[1]

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)

snob

Anagrams

bons

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /snɔb/
Audio: (file)

Adjective

snob (plural snobs)

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.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Noun

snob m or f by sense (plural snobs)

snob
C’est un snob.
He's a snob.

Derived terms

Anagrams

bons

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈznɔb/^[1]
Rhymes: -ɔb
Hyphenation: snòb

Noun

snob m (invariable)

snob

Adjective

snob (invariable)

snobbish

References

^ snob in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

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)

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

Related terms

adjective

snobistyczny

adverb

snobistycznie

Romanian

Etymology

From French snob.

Adjective

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

snobbish

Declension

Declension of snob

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

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /snôb/

Noun

snȍb m (Cyrillic spelling сно̏б)

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

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

snob

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

References

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Noun

Derived terms

Further reading

Anagrams

Italian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Adjective

References

Polish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Adjective

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Slovak

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

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