Snobbery
/ˈsnɒb.ər.i/noun
Behavior or attitudes characteristic of a snob, especially contempt for people perceived as socially inferior.
Did you know?The word snobbery grew out of the slang word *snob*, whose origin is uncertain, but by the 19th century it had become a sharp social curse for people obsessed with rank and class.
Etymological Timeline
Late 18th Century
English
snob
“A slang term for a cobbler or ordinary person, later a person lacking social polish.”
Early 19th Century
English
snob
“A person who imitates or flatters the socially superior; one who despises those below them.”
19th Century
English
snobbery
“The behavior, attitudes, or habits of a snob.”
Modern English
English
snobbery
“Condescending or class-conscious behavior.”