patrician
What does "patrician" mean?
A patrician is someone of high social rank, specifically referring to the aristocracy or the noble class of ancient Rome. Mentally, visualize someone with an air of refined elegance, perhaps holding a glass of wine in a marble hall, embodying a sense of inherited authority and classic sophistication. In modern usage, the term is often used to describe a person who displays the manners, tastes, or perceived superiority associated with the upper class. While it can be used neutrally to describe historical status, it is frequently used in a slightly critical or ironic way to describe someone who seems detached from the concerns of the common person.
"patrician" in conversation
Discussing a professor
Professor Sterling really has that patrician air about him, doesn't he?
Professor Sterling really has that patrician air about him, doesn't he?
Absolutely, he speaks like he's lecturing to the Senate rather than a bunch of undergrads.
Absolutely, he speaks like he's lecturing to the Senate rather than a bunch of undergrads.
Used here to describe a haughty or elevated demeanor.
Historical documentary
The patrician families held nearly all the political power in the early Roman Republic.
The patrician families held nearly all the political power in the early Roman Republic.
So it was essentially an oligarchy run by the elite?
So it was essentially an oligarchy run by the elite?
Used in its historical, literal sense.
"patrician" in a sentence
The patrician class controlled the majority of the land in the capital.
The patrician class controlled the majority of the land in the capital.
Despite his immense wealth, he lacked the patrician grace his grandfather had possessed.
Despite his immense wealth, he lacked the patrician grace his grandfather had possessed.
She maintained a patrician detachment from the petty office politics that consumed her colleagues.
She maintained a patrician detachment from the petty office politics that consumed her colleagues.
