elitism
noun
elit·ism ā-ˈlē-ˌti-zəm 
i-,
ē- 1
: leadership or rule by an elite
2
: the selectivity of the elite
especially : snobbery
elitism in choosing new members
3
: consciousness of being or belonging to an elite
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The answer apparently had to do, in a complicated way, with brand identity and perhaps an aversion to the Walmart name, though some were quicker to call it elitism. 
Andrew Weaver, Outside Online, 14 May 2020 And yeah, a lot comes with that —there’s record store snobbery, and there’s audiophile (elitism). Chris Willman, Variety, 17 July 2022 For many, many years, road cycling was synonymous with elitism. Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 2 June 2022 Details of his Westernization — the process of achieving elitism — are overlooked because that triumph is also implicit in the animation process itself. Armond White, National Review, 16 Mar. 2022 That potentially leaves the White House with the worst of all possible worlds – a policy that doesn't satisfy base voters, is still vulnerable to the inevitable charges of elitism from the right, and might end up in legal purgatory, anyway. David Faris, The Week, 26 May 2022 One of the longest-serving chancellors in recent UW-Madison history, Blank brought stability to an institution that has sometimes been used as a political punching bag and viewed as an ivory tower of elitism. Kelly Meyerhofer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 May 2022 André Leon Talley, the larger-than-life fashion editor who carved out a space for himself as a Black pioneer in an industry notoriously dominated by white elitism, is dead at 73, according to a statement posted to his Instagram account yesterday. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Jan. 2022 The point of the brand — famed for its $1,000 T-shirts and jackets as high as $95,000 — is elitism and a postmodern comment on the nature of money itself. Thomas Adamson, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2022 See More
Andrew Weaver, Outside Online, 14 May 2020 And yeah, a lot comes with that —there’s record store snobbery, and there’s audiophile (elitism). Chris Willman, Variety, 17 July 2022 For many, many years, road cycling was synonymous with elitism. Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 2 June 2022 Details of his Westernization — the process of achieving elitism — are overlooked because that triumph is also implicit in the animation process itself. Armond White, National Review, 16 Mar. 2022 That potentially leaves the White House with the worst of all possible worlds – a policy that doesn't satisfy base voters, is still vulnerable to the inevitable charges of elitism from the right, and might end up in legal purgatory, anyway. David Faris, The Week, 26 May 2022 One of the longest-serving chancellors in recent UW-Madison history, Blank brought stability to an institution that has sometimes been used as a political punching bag and viewed as an ivory tower of elitism. Kelly Meyerhofer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 May 2022 André Leon Talley, the larger-than-life fashion editor who carved out a space for himself as a Black pioneer in an industry notoriously dominated by white elitism, is dead at 73, according to a statement posted to his Instagram account yesterday. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Jan. 2022 The point of the brand — famed for its $1,000 T-shirts and jackets as high as $95,000 — is elitism and a postmodern comment on the nature of money itself. Thomas Adamson, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1