snobbery

English

Pronunciation

• (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): /ˈsnɔbəɹɪj/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

English snob

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-os?

Proto-Indo-European *-o-

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -ārius

Old French -ier

Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-ijos

Proto-Italic *-ios

Old Latin -ios

Latin -ius

Latin -ia

Old French -ie

Old French -eriebor.

Middle English -erie

English -ery

English snobbery

From snob + -ery (noun-forming suffix).

Noun

snobbery (countable and uncountable, plural snobberies)

1. The property or trait of being a snob.

Synonyms

• snobbism

Derived terms

• antisnobbery
• inverted snobbery

Translations

the property or trait of being a snob

• Albanian: snobizëm (sq) m
• Bulgarian: снобизъм (bg) m (snobizăm)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 勢利 / 势利 (zh) (shìli)

• Dutch: snobisme (nl) n
• Esperanto: snobeco
• Finnish: snobismi, snobbailu (fi)
• French: snobisme (fr) m
• German: Snobismus (de) m
• Greek: ακαταδεξιά (el) f (akatadexiá)
• Hungarian: sznobság (hu), sznobizmus (hu)
• Irish: ardnós m
• Polish: snobizm (pl) m
• Portuguese: arrogância (pt), esnobismo (pt)
• Russian: сноби́зм (ru) m (snobízm)
• Spanish: pijada f (Spain), pijotada f (Spain), esnobismo (es) m, señoritismo m
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: غرور (gurur), كبر (kibr, kibir), طور (tavr, tavır)

Etymology 2

From snob + -ery (adjectival suffix).

Adjective

snobbery (comparative more snobbery, superlative most snobbery)

1. (colloquial, rare) Synonym of snobby.
   • 1999 March 30, Nick Howarth, “Volksworld^[sic] stinks”, in uk.rec.cars.vw.aircooled‎^[1] (Usenet), archived from the original on 24 September 2025:

     The only thing Volksworld acts snobbery about is the amount of dangerously built shit they have had to put with over the years.

   • 2001 July 26, Nicky, “OFF: Steve Barton”, in alt.fan.lea-salonga‎^[2] (Usenet), archived from the original on 24 September 2025:

     When I was at college, studying music, ALW [Andrew Lloyd Webber] music was frowned upon. In fact all show-type music was seen as non-classical, and non-innovative! Looks were given by staff, if someone were heard jamming ALW tunes. […] It is just so snobbery!! I think attitudes have changed slightly since I was there.

   • 2016, C. D. Moulton, chapter 10, in A Strange Place (Flight of the Maita; 14), [Morrisville, N.C.]: Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 139:

     He seemed all right to me. Didn't act snobbery like so many Kappins.