: a social class occupying a position above the middle class and having the highest status in a society
Synonyms
Examples of upper-class in a Sentence
Noun
a popular pastime among the upper classes
a member of the upper class
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Stock portfolios and home prices have soared, giving middle- and upper-class households an extra boost.
—Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Even in the 1970s, a large, working-class family was met with a degree of wariness that middle- and upper-class families rarely are.
—Nell Frizzell, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024
No set curriculum existed, and the only subjects considered necessary for middle- and upper-class girls were needlework, reading, writing, etiquette, music and a bit of arithmetic.
—E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Although Ings has made a career playing upper-class British rogues, his own background is a little different.
—Imogen West-Knights, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Daniel Day-Lewis stars as an upper-class lawyer caught between his fiancée (Winona Ryder) and a controversial countess (Michelle Pfeiffer).
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024
These skills were useful to build the American economy with free labor that further enriched already wealthy aristocratic and upper-class Europeans.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Ann is his childhood sweetheart, but upper-class Helen falls for him, too – and her mother has designs on Artie’s wealth.
—Owen Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2024
Shelby Ying Hyde, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
Young European noblemen had always taken a grand tour, but in the 19th century, frequent, pleasure-seeking travel became a fixture for the upper classes, newly able to gallivant by steam train or cruise liner.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
In recent years, what was once a luxury product became increasingly mainstream as incomes have risen among China’s middle and upper classes.
—Siyi Zhao, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
The middle class is generally perceived as those who fall between the socio-economic hierarchy of the working class and upper class.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
But, in 1960, his parents, fearful of the rise of a Communist dictator, joined an exodus of the middle and upper classes.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
Fitzgerald’s writing is a critique of the self-mythologizing upper class; Luhrmann’s adaptation buys into the myth.
—Janey Tracey, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024
In declaring war on the upper class that made him, Carlson joined a long, volatile lineage of combatants against the élite.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
Trapped between the monolith of Jim Crow, the inflexible world of the Black upper class, and the violence of Prohibition-era Chicago, Jay and Nelly work together and stoke the flames of a love worth fighting for.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024
Adjective
This classism was something McAlister faced while at the BBC, which tends to hire people from upper-class backgrounds.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Stock portfolios and home prices have soared, giving middle- and upper-class households an extra boost.
—Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Even in the 1970s, a large, working-class family was met with a degree of wariness that middle- and upper-class families rarely are.
—Nell Frizzell, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024
No set curriculum existed, and the only subjects considered necessary for middle- and upper-class girls were needlework, reading, writing, etiquette, music and a bit of arithmetic.
—E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Although Ings has made a career playing upper-class British rogues, his own background is a little different.
—Imogen West-Knights, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Daniel Day-Lewis stars as an upper-class lawyer caught between his fiancée (Winona Ryder) and a controversial countess (Michelle Pfeiffer).
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024
These skills were useful to build the American economy with free labor that further enriched already wealthy aristocratic and upper-class Europeans.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Ann is his childhood sweetheart, but upper-class Helen falls for him, too – and her mother has designs on Artie’s wealth.
—Owen Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
The upper class began sporting this more elevated attire for evening events–this included dark colors like the more traditional shades of black and blue.
—Shelby Ying Hyde, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
Young European noblemen had always taken a grand tour, but in the 19th century, frequent, pleasure-seeking travel became a fixture for the upper classes, newly able to gallivant by steam train or cruise liner.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
In recent years, what was once a luxury product became increasingly mainstream as incomes have risen among China’s middle and upper classes.
—Siyi Zhao, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
The middle class is generally perceived as those who fall between the socio-economic hierarchy of the working class and upper class.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
But, in 1960, his parents, fearful of the rise of a Communist dictator, joined an exodus of the middle and upper classes.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
Fitzgerald’s writing is a critique of the self-mythologizing upper class; Luhrmann’s adaptation buys into the myth.
—Janey Tracey, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024
In declaring war on the upper class that made him, Carlson joined a long, volatile lineage of combatants against the élite.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
Trapped between the monolith of Jim Crow, the inflexible world of the Black upper class, and the violence of Prohibition-era Chicago, Jay and Nelly work together and stoke the flames of a love worth fighting for.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upper-class.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near upper-class
Cite this Entry
“Upper-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upper-class. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
upper class
noun
: the highest class in society
upper-class
adjective
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