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Definitions

elite

[ih-leet, ey-leet] / ɪˈlit, eɪˈlit /
ADJECTIVE
best, first-class
Synonyms
STRONGEST
exclusive silk-stocking
STRONG
choice cool crack elect noble pick super top
WEAK
aristocratic gilt-edged greatest select selected tiptop top-drawer top-notch topflight upper-class world-class
Antonyms
STRONG
bad inferior poor second-rate
WEAK
common low-class lower lower-class ordinary worst
NOUN
high-class persons
Synonyms
STRONGEST
aristocracy celebrity establishment society
STRONG
best choice cream crowd elect fat flower gentility gentry nobility pride prime prize quality top
WEAK
beautiful people blue blood carriage trade country-club set crème de la crème fast lane glitterati high society in-crowd jet-set main line old money optimacy select upper class upper crust
Antonyms
STRONGEST
proletariat
STRONG
worst
WEAK
commonality low-life lower class ordinary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This helps explain why elite sprinters can look very different from one another at top speed.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

Tuchel would no doubt have smiled in satisfaction as this latest example of the elite striker he has at his disposal - and how life without him is impossible to contemplate.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

“At some point, the only way to get the financial elite to start hearing our pleas is if we stop giving them money,” Granado-Gomez told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Border Patrol agents from an elite unit rappelled from a hovering Black Hawk helicopter onto the roof of a 130-unit apartment complex.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

The events in Jamestown were alarming to the planter elite, who were deeply fearful of the multiracial alliance of bond workers and slaves.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander