counterelite
Etymology
From counter- + elite.
counterelite means A dominant and influential group that opposes or is excluded from the mainstream elite or ruling group. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
Why this word is great
COUNTERELITE — [Noun] A dominant and influential group that opposes or is excluded from the mainstream elite or ruling group. From the English prefix counter- ("against, opposing") + elite ("a select group or class"). Unlike a diffuse "opposition" (which merely disagrees) or the monolithic "establishment" (which is the entrenched power), a counterelite is a coherent, parallel hierarchy of influence, an establishment-in-waiting. It is the exiled intellectuals publishing samizdat manifestos, the syndicate of tech visionaries drafting new societal protocols, and the clandestine salon where the next century’s taste is dictated. Every ruling class sows the seeds of its own usurpers, a patient accumulation of the means to take the stage.
noun
- A dominant and influential group that opposes or is excluded from the mainstream elite or ruling group.