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Kevin
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February 27, 2023
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Has anyone ever told you to stop being such a royal snob? Or have you ever heard someone refer to a person’s behavior as snobbish? Do you know what the word snob means? Not to worry — The Word Counter is here to help!
In this article, we’re diving into the realm of insults to uncover the scoop behind the word snob. So if you’ve ever been curious as to what snob (/snɑːb/ /snɒb/) means or where this interesting word came from, keep reading.
What Is the Definition of Snob?
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, the noun snob means a person who cultivates, slavishly admires, or often imitates social superiors and is unfortunately overbearing and condescending to others around them.
Snob can also be defined as an individual that believes herself or himself to be a connoisseur or expert in any given field and is also disdainful of those who happen to have a varying opinion to their own. For instance, think of an intellectual snob, a musical snob, or even a wine snob.
Below you will also find a few of the derived forms of snob that you may run into as you continue on your journey to learn all sorts of new words:
- Noun — snobbism (ˈsnobbism)
- Adjective — snobby (ˈsnobby)
- Adverb — snobbily (ˈsnobbily)
- Noun — snobbishness (ˈsnobbishness)
- Noun — snobbery (ˈsnobbery)
- Adjective — snobbish (ˈsnobbish)
- Adverb — snobbishly (ˈsnobbishly)
What Is the Etymology of Snob?
The word origin of snob is a little unclear as its origin is not crystal-clear. That said, it was first recorded in 1775 to 1785 and used as a nickname for a cobbler’s apprentice or a cobbler themselves.
Snob later came to be defined as someone of a lower class or that simply lacked good breeding; in essence, a commoner.
It was not until approximately 1911 that the word became primarily known for its current meaning — one who despises those they consider to be inferior in taste, rank, or attainment.
What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Snob?
An excellent way to improve your overall understanding of a new word is by reviewing its synonyms and antonyms. To help boost your knowledge of our word of the day, we’ve provided a list of synonyms and antonyms for you to study below:
Synonyms
- Snot
- Highbrow
- Elitist
- Braggart
- Pretender
- Snoot
- Entitled
- Parvenu
- Upstart
- Name-dropper
- Stiff neck
- Smartypants
- Social climber
- Status seeker
- Booger
- Prig
- Stiff
- Pompous person
- Stuffed shirt
- Aristocrat
- Boaster
- Egoist
- Hotshot
- Intellectual
- Showoff
- Stiff
- Superior
- Bootlicker
- Sycophant
- Toady
- One of the cognoscenti
- Devoted fan
- Idolizer
- Stage-door johnny
- Hero worshiper
- Obsessed fan
- Avid supporter
- Adherent
- Shoemaker
- Cobbler
- Bootmaker
- Souter
- Shoe repairman
- Shoemender
- Clogger
- Crispin
- Fiend
- Maniac
- Aficionado
- Upper class
- Snoot
- Goody two shoes
- Holy joe
- Priggish person
- Moralist
- Grundy
- Arrogant
- Nouveau riche
Antonyms
- Critic
- Nonfan
- Censurer
- Detractor
- Attacker
- Caviller
- Disparager
- Knocker
- Denigrator
- Castigator
- Criticizer
- Faultfinder
- Hypercritic
- Decrier
- Disapprover
- Doubter
- Enemy
- Opponent
- Ignoramus
How Can You Use Snob in a Sentence?
Ready to put your newfound knowledge to the test? Quiz yourself to see how many sentences you can conjure up with the correct usage of our word of the day.
Need some help? Here are a few sentence examples to get you going:
My sister and I used to be thick as thieves, but now she is simply a stuck-up little snob and truly believes the sun and moon revolve around her — I simply can’t stand her elitist attitude!
If you choose to think of me as a snob, at the very least address me as an inverted snob — you can’t deny that I like to mingle with the rich as well as the poor.
I really want to wow my aunt, the self-professed wine snob, this year with such a bottle that will knock her socks off — so, can you help me out?
Ever since her parents sent her to a private school, Nancy has become such a snob, and I do not want to be around her.
Jerry kept claiming he was some food snob and only dined on five-star cuisine, yet I aptly remember him living off of cheap noodles and bologna sandwiches all throughout college.
Who hired that elitist? She’s such a snob looking down on all of us each day in and day out… I can not wait until it’s her turn to wash the commode!
What Are Translations of the Noun Snob?
Now that you’re better acquainted with our word of the day, you might be wondering how to say it in a different language. Translations of snob include:
- American English — snob
- Arabic — مُتَكَبِر
- Brazilian Portuguese — esnobe
- Chinese — 势利小人
- Croatian — snob
- Czech — snob
- Danish — snob
- Dutch — snob
- Japanese — 紳士気取りの俗物
- Korean — 속물
- Norwegian — snobb
- Polish — snob
- European Portuguese — snob
- Romanian — snob
- British English — snob
- Russian — сноб
- Spanish — esnob
- Swedish — snobb
- Thai — คนหัวสูง
- Turkish — züppe
- Ukrainian — сноб
- Vietnamese — trưởng giả học làm sang
- European Spanish — esnob
- Finnish — snobi
- French — snob
- German — Snob
- Greek — σνομπ
- Italian — snob
Recap
To sum it up, if your friends start referring to you as a snob or stating that you’ve become a snob — they are letting you know that you are acting like you think you’re are better than everyone else and you have become quite condescending.
We hope you enjoyed learning about our word of the day, snob. If you would like to enhance your existing vocabulary by discovering more interesting terms, we invite you to check out our website.
Whether you’re looking for some clarification on a confusing slang word, term, or expression, you can always count on The Word Counter for all of your grammar needs.
Sources:
Snob – Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
