blue-blooded
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy: The word "blue-blooded" describes a person, family, or their attributes as being of noble or aristocratic lineage, often implying high social status, refined manners, or a long history of privilege.
Usage
- The adjective "blue-blooded" is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb). It often carries connotations of tradition, exclusivity, and sometimes, being out of touch with ordinary people.
- It is a compound adjective formed from "blue blood," an idiom referring to noble birth.
Examples
- Attributive use:
- She comes from a blue-blooded family with a centuries-old title.
- The university was traditionally the domain of blue-blooded young men.
- Predicative use:
- Despite their wealth, they were not considered blue-blooded by the old aristocracy.
- His manners were so refined that he seemed blue-blooded.
Advanced Usage
- "blue-blooded aristocracy": A common collocation emphasizing the hereditary noble class.
- The country's politics were long dominated by the blue-blooded aristocracy.
- Used metaphorically to describe elite groups in non-aristocratic contexts (e.g., in business, academia), though this is an extended use.
- He was part of the blue-blooded elite of Wall Street, having attended all the right schools.
Variants and Related Words
- Blue blood (noun phrase): Noble or aristocratic birth or descent.
- She married him for his blue blood, not his money.
- Aristocratic (adj): Of the aristocracy; grand and refined. A close synonym.
- Patrician (adj): Aristocratic, noble. Often implies a sense of dignity and high cultural taste.
- High-born (adj): Of noble birth. A more literal synonym.
Synonyms
- Aristocratic: Of or belonging to the aristocracy.
- Noble: Belonging to a hereditary class with high social or political status.
- Patrician: Aristocratic; characteristic of the ancient Roman patricians or similar high-ranking families.
- High-born: Born into a family of high social rank.
Antonyms
- Common: Of ordinary social rank.
- Plebeian: Of the common people (often contrasted with patrician).
- Low-born: Born into a family of low social rank.
Idioms and Phrases
- Blue blood: The idiom from which "blue-blooded" is derived, meaning noble birth.
- The rumor was that he had blue blood running through his veins.
- To the manor born: An idiom (from Shakespeare) meaning naturally suited to an aristocratic or luxurious lifestyle, often used similarly to "blue-blooded."
- With her elegant poise, she behaved as if to the manor born.
Adjective
- belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy
- an aristocratic family
- aristocratic Bostonians
- aristocratic government
- a blue family
- blue blood
- the blue-blooded aristocracy
- of gentle blood
- patrician landholders of the American South
- aristocratic bearing
- aristocratic features
- patrician tastes