DictionaryswellFashionable or wealthy person
noun

swell

A fashionable or wealthy person, in old-fashioned usage.

The old novel describes a fashionable swell at the club.

Etymology

Swell became a name for an imposing or fashionably dressed person. The word suggests conspicuous social display or an inflated sense of importance.

More examples

  • Several swells arrived in fine carriages.
  • He dressed like a society swell.
  • The narrator mocked the wealthy swells at the party.

Forms

swell · swells

Similar words

dandy
A person especially attentive to fashionable dress.
socialite
Someone prominent in fashionable social circles.