A snob is someone who acts superior to others and looks down on people they consider beneath them. A snob might refuse to be friends with classmates who don't wear expensive clothes, or turn up their nose at someone's lunch because it's not fancy enough. Snobs care intensely about status, brands, popularity, or having the “right” things, and they use these standards to judge everyone around them.

The word can apply to different areas. An intellectual snob might mock people for not reading difficult books. A music snob might claim that anyone who enjoys popular songs has terrible taste. A food snob might refuse to eat at ordinary restaurants, insisting that only expensive places serve decent meals.

What makes someone a snob isn't having high standards or knowing a lot about something. It's the attitude of superiority and the way they treat others as inferior. A true expert shares knowledge enthusiastically and respects that people have different experiences and preferences. A snob uses knowledge or taste as a weapon to make others feel small.

When people call something snobbish, they mean it seems designed to exclude ordinary people or make them feel unwelcome. The opposite of snobbish behavior is treating everyone with equal respect, regardless of what they own, know, or enjoy.