- a small group of people in a society, etc. who are powerful and have a lot of influence, because they are rich, intelligent, etc.
- a member of the ruling/intellectual elite
- Public opinion is influenced by the small elite who control the media.
- In these countries, only the elite can afford an education for their children.
- The global elite has/have held meetings there since 1873.
Extra ExamplesTopics Social issuesc1- He was an influential member of the ruling elite.
- These people form an elite who have the power to make decisions.
- a club for members of the business elite
- the European Union's technocratic elites
- Cultural centres should not just be for the use of a social elite.
- He came from the country's intellectual elite.
- The election result was seen as a backlash of the working class against the metropolitan liberal elite.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- governing
- power
- ruling
- …
- create
- form
- join
- …
- a member of an elite
- a group of people with the greatest ability at the highest level of competition, especially in sport
- The club has returned to the elite of European football.
Word Originlate 18th cent.: from French élite ‘selection, choice’, from élire ‘to elect’, from a variant of Latin eligere, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out’ + legere ‘to pick’.
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elite