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status symbol

noun

  1. an object, habit, etc., by which the social or economic status of the possessor may be judged.


status symbol

noun

  1. a possession which is regarded as proof of the owner's social position, wealth, prestige, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Idioms and Phrases

A position or activity that allows one's social prestige to be displayed, as in She doesn't even drive; that car of hers is purely a status symbol . [Mid-1900s]
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Example Sentences

Now that offices are reopening, remote work is becoming a status symbol again—but this time for the employees with the greatest bargaining power.

From Time

In fact, the wealthy shunned the outdoors and natural light in an effort to keep their skin pale — a status symbol separating them from the poor who toiled in the fields.

From Ozy

Shoppers have reciprocated, buying up Nike products and elevating its Jordan sneakers to status symbols.

From Quartz

The assets have become a sort of Internet-savvy status symbol and are attracting a certain brand of techie celebrity.

So mimicking funeral practices used for royalty may have been a status symbol.

With the Apple Watch, it is plunging into a market where the main product is—and almost always has been—a fashion-y status symbol.

Like blood ivory, some see it as a status symbol due to its perceived prestige and ballooned financial value.

In the Middle East, a cheetah riding shotgun in the plush leather seat of a luxury sports car is the ultimate status symbol.

Iris (name has been changed) has become one such “status symbol.”

A tapestry like this was the ultimate luxury good and status symbol, worth so much more than a measly painting.

Automobiles were owned by the government only, and bicycles, a status symbol, were available to only a few.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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