Antiaristocracy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Opposing the existence or influence of a privileged noble class; characterized by resistance to inherited social rank or aristocratic authority; advocating for social systems without elite hereditary rulers
2. Marked by antagonism toward established upper-class elites; reflecting a stance against the privileges and traditions of nobility; supporting policies that diminish aristocratic power and hierarchy
3. Demonstrating hostility to the privileged positions of hereditary nobility; embodying an ideology against the maintenance of an aristocratic social order; favoring egalitarian structures over elite rule

Etymology: Anti- comes from the Greek "anti," meaning "against" or "opposite," and it has been attached to English words for centuries to flag opposition. Aristocracy, in turn, traces back to the Greek "aristokratia," built from "aristos," meaning "best," and "kratos," meaning "power" or "rule." The original idea was rule by the best, though in practice the term came to mean rule by a privileged hereditary class. Put the two together and you get a word whose sense is simply opposition to that privileged class. The formation is transparent: a prefix stuck onto an established noun, with no obvious twist in meaning. Its value lies in describing a political or social attitude rather than a particular group of people.

Synonyms: egalitarianism, democracy, populism, anti-elitism, socialism

Antonyms: aristocracy, elitism, nobility, oligarchy, plutocracy