snob

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Snob and snöb

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Late 18th century dialectical 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[edit]

Noun[edit]

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 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 […]
  3. (dated) A member of the lower classes; a commoner. [from 19th c.]
    • 1844, Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit:
      '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.'
    • 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.
  4. (archaic) A workman who works for lower wages than his fellows, or who will not join a strike.
  5. (Cambridge University) A townsman, as opposed to a gownsman.
    Synonym: cad

Coordinate terms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
  2. ^ “snob”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN
  3. ^ Anatoly Liberman (2008-05-14) , “Snob Before and After Thackeray”, in OUPblog‎[1]

Anagrams[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

snob m (plural snobs, diminutive snobje n)

  1. snob

Anagrams[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

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.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)

Noun[edit]

snob m or f (plural snobs)

  1. snob
    C’est un snob.
    He's a snob.

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

snob m (invariable)

  1. snob

Adjective[edit]

snob (invariable)

  1. snobbish

References[edit]

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

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English snob.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

snob m pers (feminine snobka)

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

Declension[edit]

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[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

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

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French snob.

Adjective[edit]

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

  1. snobbish

Declension[edit]

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[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

snȍb m (Cyrillic spelling сно̏б)

  1. snob

Declension[edit]

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[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English snob.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

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

  1. snob

Declension[edit]

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[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • snob in Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=snob&oldid=62483514"