Word.ws English Dictionary

Chesterfieldian

Chesterfieldian noun: someone who acts in a sophisticated, aristocratic manner, reminiscent of the fourth Earl of Chesterfield.

Noun

Chesterfieldian (plural Chesterfieldians)

  1. Someone who acts in a sophisticated, aristocratic manner, reminiscent of the fourth Earl of Chesterfield.
    • For example, in the chapter on “The Imperial Family," by Baron Sannomiya, this consummate Chesterfieldian, who acts as the court chamberlain, tells us what went on—outside of the imperial family.1905, review of Studies in Montaigne, in The Nation (volume 80, no 2067, Feb 9, 1905) p. 118

Adjective

Chesterfieldian (comparative more Chesterfieldian, superlative most Chesterfieldian)

  1. In the style of the fourth Earl of Chesterfield, marked by brilliance, wit, and elegance in writing, and aristocratic assurance in life
    • What most evidently prevailed, absit invidia, and what betrayed her into all the Chesterfieldian indecorums of laughter, was his addressing her in Irish.1778, Thomas Campbell, “Letter XXXI”, in A Philosophical Survey of the South of Ireland: In a Series of Letters to John Watkinson, M.D., page 291
    • Lady Anne was very angry, both at herself and the Count; nevertheless, his perfect simplicity and sincerity, and the nonchalance with which he spoke, amused her as much as it vexed her; and, as poor Georgiana, after various efforts to subdue her risibility, was constrained to laugh outright, the...1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XLVIII, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 311

Forms of Chesterfieldian

Noun
pluralChesterfieldians
Adjective
comparativemore Chesterfieldian
superlativemost Chesterfieldian

Origin of Chesterfieldian

From Chesterfield + -ian.

Questions about Chesterfieldian

What does Chesterfieldian mean?
Chesterfieldian means someone who acts in a sophisticated, aristocratic manner, reminiscent of the fourth Earl of Chesterfield.
What part of speech is Chesterfieldian?
Chesterfieldian can be a noun or an adjective.
What is the plural of Chesterfieldian?
The plural of Chesterfieldian is Chesterfieldians.

Words near Chesterfieldian in the dictionary

  1. Chesterfield County
  2. Chesterfield Court House
  3. Chesterfield Inlet
  4. chesterfield rugby
  5. chesterfield suite
  6. Chesterfieldian
  7. Chesterfieldians
  8. chesterfields
  9. Chesterford
  10. Chesterian
  11. Chesterians

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Chesterfieldian (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.

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