A-listn.adj.
/ˈeɪlɪst/, U.S. /ˈeɪˌlɪst/ A. n.
1. The first in a series of lists, esp. lists ranked in order of preference or significance.
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1890 (title) Returns of persons on the general A list [Dublin Metropolitan Police report].
1928 Jrnl. Exper. Psychol. 2 306 Half of the class practised first the A-list or vocalization-list.
1963 L. P. Curtis Coercion & Conciliation in Ireland App. 437 The first or ‘A’ list contained the list of the dozen top nationalists who were to be ‘shadowed’ by plain-clothesmen in both countries.
1992 Independent 9 May (Mag.) 42/3 To get a record on to..the B-list..means it will be played eight or nine times a week or, better still, the A-list, which ensures about 15 plays a week.
2. Originally U.S. A (notional) list comprising only the most celebrated, sought-after, or high-ranking individuals, esp. in the entertainment industry or the media; (with the) the people on this list regarded collectively; the members of a social, professional, or (now usually) celebrity elite.
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1935 S. Walker Mrs. Astor's Horse 10 Miss Cutting has an A and B list of débutantes and stag lines... She will not burden the members of the A list with secondraters.
1950 J. D. MacDonald in Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct. 26/2 I suggest that we contact the A-list of all League personnel and advise them to ready themselves for basic flight procedure.
1976 Newsweek 13 Sept. 88/2 You can slip from the A list to the B list and beyond very quickly... One day you're demanding films, the next you're asking could I please have them.
1987 R. Shilts And Band played On (1988) ii. iii. 26 On Fire Island, he lived in the house with Enno, Nick, and a few other handsome men who made the A-list of every major island party.
2007 Eve July 71/3 If you've ever glanced in the mirror, wishing away your laughter lines, spare a thought for the A-list, whose success hinges on how they look.
B. adj.
Of or belonging to an A-list; spec. designating or relating to a (notional) roster of the most celebrated or sought-after individuals, esp. in the entertainment industry or the media; pre-eminent, prestigious, top-ranking.In earliest examples an attributive use of the noun.
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1963 T. Morris & P. Morris Pentonville vi. 137 On one occasion a notorious escapee who was permanently under special watch asked if he might have his Christmas dinner with two other ‘A’ list men.
1982 N.Y. Times 9 Feb. b12/4 Mr. Wick has what is termed here a ‘B-list’ job. But because of his perceived closeness to the Reagans, he is an ‘A-list’ guest.
1984 E. Jong Parachutes & Kisses ix. 154 The party was very posh and ‘A’ list.
1990 Premiere May 81/1 If an A-list director brings a script to a studio, the coverage is likely to be appropriately deferential.
1994 CompuServe Mag. Mar. 11/2 Those are just some of the A-list entries indexed in what's known on the Internet and in programming circles as The Jargon File.
2000 Esquire July 54/1 I'm a working actor—I have to take what I'm offered... I'm not that A-list; I wish I was.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.adj.1890