# ruling class

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The social class of a given society that controls that society's political agenda, whether as a formal aristocracy or a party leadership or as an informal unit within democracies.

## Etymology
From ruling + class. First use appears c. 1653.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ruling-class