Definition

1. Noun:

   • A member of the aristocracy; a person of high social rank: Historically, a patrician was a member of the noble families in ancient Rome. In a broader sense, it refers to a person belonging to or characteristic of the highest social class, especially one with inherited wealth and status.
   • A person of refined upbringing and manners: Someone who is considered to have elegant, cultured, or sophisticated behavior and tastes, often associated with an upper-class background.

2. Adjective:

   • Belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy: Describing something connected to the highest social class, often implying nobility, gentility, or high birth.
   • Befitting a person of noble origin; having refined tastes or manners: Describing qualities, appearances, or behaviors that are elegant, dignified, and sophisticated, as one would expect from an aristocrat.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The city's patricians lived in grand mansions overlooking the park.
  • Despite his wealth, he was a true patrician, known for his philanthropy and impeccable manners.

• Adjective:

  • She had a patrician elegance that was evident in her posture and speech.
  • The building's patrician architecture reflected the wealth of its original owners.

Advanced Usage

• "Patrician aloofness": A manner of being distant or reserved in a way that is considered typical of the aristocracy.

  • The CEO was criticized for his patrician aloofness, which made him seem unapproachable to junior staff.

• "Patrician disdain": A feeling of contempt or scorn, perceived as characteristic of someone looking down from a position of high social standing.

  • He viewed the new trends in art with patrician disdain.

Variants and Related Words

• Patriciate (n): The patrician class as a whole; the aristocracy.

  • The Roman patriciate held most of the political power.

• Patricianism (n): The qualities, character, or status of a patrician.

  • His patricianism was more about his values and education than his bank account.

Synonyms

• Aristocrat (n): A member of the aristocracy.
• Noble (n/adj): A person of noble rank or birth; having high moral qualities or grandeur.
• Blue-blood (n): A person of noble or aristocratic lineage.
• Genteel (adj): Polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or exaggerated way.

Antonyms

• Plebeian (n/adj): A commoner; belonging to the common people, often contrasted with the patrician class.
• Commoner (n): A person without noble rank or title.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "To the manor born": Having a natural suitability for a wealthy or aristocratic lifestyle, as if born to it. This phrase conveys a similar idea to having patrician tastes or bearing.
  • She handled the formal dinner with an ease that suggested she was to the manor born.

Adjective

1. 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
2. befitting a person of noble origin
   • a patrician nose

Noun

1. a member of the aristocracy
2. a person of refined upbringing and manners