- a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility.
- a government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class.
- government by those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
- a governing body composed of those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
- any class or group considered to be superior, as through education, ability, wealth, or social prestige.
- a privileged class of people usually of high birth; the nobility
- such a class as the ruling body of a state
- government by such a class
- a state governed by such a class
- a class of people considered to be outstanding in a sphere of activity
