What does glitterati mean?
The glitterati are people regarded as fashionable, wealthy, influential, or famous, particularly celebrities and prominent members of society. The term is collective and is commonly used with phrases such as “the fashion glitterati” or “the political glitterati.” It can carry a faintly ironic or critical tone, suggesting people whose status is associated with glamour, publicity, and conspicuous social influence. Although the expression may refer broadly to an elite, it is especially associated with entertainment, fashion, politics, and high society. The word is also used figuratively for any conspicuously successful or fashionable group. Its blend of “glitter” and “literati” gives it a deliberately stylish character, making it useful in writing about celebrity culture and social hierarchy.
nounThe glitterati are fashionable, wealthy, and influential people, especially celebrities and prominent members of society.
- Fashionable, wealthy, and influential people, especially celebrities and prominent members of society.
"The premiere was attended by the glitterati of the entertainment industry."
"The newspaper photographed the political glitterati arriving at the country house."
"Her name became familiar to the glitterati long before it reached the general public."
The word is normally a collective plural and takes plural agreement; it is not ordinarily used with a regular singular form.
"The festival attracted musicians, designers, and other members of the glitterati."
Glitterati was created as a glamorous blend of “glitter” and “literati,” turning the idea of intellectual sophistication into a label for social sparkle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glitterati come from?
Glitterati is a blend of “glitter” and “literati,” combining the suggestion of brilliance and display with an older term for learned or literary people. It emerged and became popular in the early 20th century, especially during the 1920s. Its creation reflects the period’s interest in fashionable society and sharp social distinctions.
How glitterati is actually used
The word is often mildly ironic or gossipy. It tends to emphasize social prominence, glamour, and conspicuous status, and is more common in journalistic, literary, and society-page contexts than in everyday conversation.
Easily confused with glitterati
The glitterati refers primarily to fashionable, wealthy, or celebrity figures, whereas the literati refers to writers, scholars, and other intellectual elites.