Etymologically
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snob

Etymology and origin of the English word snob

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /snɒb/, /snɑb/[1]

Etymology

Of unknown origin.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A shoemaker or cobbler, or a cobbler's apprentice, in regional and informal use.[6][7][2][3]

Semantic evolution

Around 1796 it was Cambridge University slang for a townsman as opposed to a member of the university,[6][7][2][3] and by 1831 it meant a person of the ordinary or lower classes.[6][7][2][3] From 1838 it also meant someone lacking breeding or taste,[6][7] and from 1848, popularized by Thackeray's Book of Snobs, someone who vulgarly imitates or seeks the company of social superiors.[3][7][6][2] By 1911 the sense had reversed to someone who looks down on those considered inferior in rank, attainment or taste.[3][7][6]

Timeline

  • 1781 – a cobbler.[6][7][2][3][4]
  • c. 1796 – Cambridge slang, a townsman.[6][7][2]
  • 1831 – a member of the lower classes.[6][7][2][3]
  • 1833 – snobbery.[2]
  • 1838 – a person without breeding or taste.[6][7]
  • 1840 – snobbish.[2]
  • 1843 – one who apes social superiors;[3][2] popularized by Thackeray in 1848.[3][2]
  • 1909 – inverted snob.[3]
  • 1911 – one who despises those considered inferior.[6][7][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who admires and seeks to associate with those regarded as social superiors, while snubbing those regarded as inferior.
  2. A person with an offensive air of superiority in matters of taste or knowledge.
  3. (British) A cobbler.

Word family

  • snobby
  • snobbery
  • snobbism
  • snobbish

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Snob.” Etymologically, 8 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/snob. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on .