Word.ws English Dictionary

A-list

/ˈeɪlɪst/US/ˈeɪˌlɪst/

A-list noun: the first of a number of lists, especially lists arranged in order of importance or preference.

Noun

A-list (plural A-lists)

  1. The first of a number of lists, especially lists arranged in order of importance or preference.
  2. An informal list of people (especially in the entertainment industry, or professionally or socially prominent) who are the most admired or desirable, or likely to bring success.
    • The film [Pretty Woman] grossed $464 million worldwide, ensconcing her [Julia Roberts] in the Hollywood A-list.2014 January 21, Hermione Hoby, “Julia Roberts interview for August: Osage County – ‘I might actually go to hell for this…’”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review section), London: Telegraph Media Group...
    Antonyms:
    Z-list

Adjective

A-list (not comparable)

  1. Of or relating, or belonging, to an A-list (noun sense 2).
    • By the 1980s, there was still huge appeal for what became known as 'shiny-floor' talent shows, especially during weekend primetime. In the US, Star Search ran for 12 years in its original run, from 1983 to 1995, and as searches went, it did genuinely uncover some A-list talent, including Destiny's...2021 September 15, Laura Martin, “How Talent Shows Became TV’s Most Bizarre Programmes”, in BBC Online, archived from the original on 18 Apr 2023
    • Before his [Rock Hudson's] Aids diagnosis, he had been so many other things: A-list hunk, suave romcom star and all-round Mr America.2023 October 6, Ryan Gilbey, “The double life of Rock Hudson: ‘Let’s be frank, he was a horndog!’”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived...
    Antonyms:
    Z-list
  2. (broadly) Best of a group; first-class, pre-eminent, top.
    • DirectX 10 promises an almost obscene step up in the level of eye candy you can expect from an A-list game, which is the great news. The bad news is, you'll need a new videocard to get those gorgeous graphics.2007 winter, Steve Klett, “Release Notes: The Winds of Change”, in Steve Klett, editor, Maximum PC, San Francisco, Calif.: Future US, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3, column 1

Synonyms of A-list

Antonyms

Forms of A-list

pluralA-lists
alternative formA list

Origin of A-list

The noun is derived from A (“rank (normally the highest) on a scale that assigns letters”) + list. The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun.

Words formed from A-list

Words that rhyme with A-list

Questions about A-list

What does A-list mean?
A-list means the first of a number of lists, especially lists arranged in order of importance or preference.
What part of speech is A-list?
A-list can be a noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce A-list?
A-list is pronounced /ˈeɪlɪst/ (UK).
What is the plural of A-list?
The plural of A-list is A-lists.

Words near A-list in the dictionary

  1. a-life
  2. A-lifer
  3. A-lifers
  4. A-line
  5. A-lines
  6. A-list
  7. A-lister
  8. A-listers
  9. A-lists
  10. A-Log
  11. A-Logged

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: A-list (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-A-list.wav.

Cite this entry: “A-list.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/a-list. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.