Thesaurus results for PARVENU

parvenu

noun

ˈpär-və-ˌnü

Definition of parvenu

as in arriviste

one who has recently acquired wealth and social position the kind of trophy house that a parvenu buys to prove to people, and to himself, that he has indeed arrived

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of parvenu Spurrier, who predominantly sold French vintages, wasn’t expecting anything other than a trouncing for the parvenu. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 25 May 2026 Raveendran, at least on paper, assumes his place among those parvenus thanks to his effort in internet education. — Saritha Rai, Fortune, 29 July 2019 Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat. — Lili Anolik, Vanities, 19 June 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for parvenu

Noun

Jackson gives you a whole clan of old-money Brooklyn Heights Stocktons, but the character who carries the thesis is Sasha, the middle-class New England girl who marries in and is instantly, permanently cast as the arriviste.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Charm is what turns the arriviste’s effort into a social gift.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of arriviste

Noun

The Dream and Valkyries are upstarts, eliminating the last two WNBA champions en route to setting up their unexpected matchup.

— AJC Sports, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Art history as a discipline favors upstarts, the avant-garde, protest, outsiders, and transgression—all those timeless modernisms.

— Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of upstart

Noun

And all of this comes on the heels of the glitzy opening of the Six Senses Crans-Montana ski-in, ski-out resort, and the nouveau riche crowd that comes with it.

— Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 4 May 2026
Vandelli thinks Stilley is nouveau riche; Stilley thinks Vandelli is a bully.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 May 2026

Definition of nouveau riche

Noun

While Harding, the other tourist on the Titan, was a keen adventurer, the Dawoods preferred plusher vacations that taught them something.

— Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Just the other day, the extreme adventurer traveled from London to Cameroon in Central Africa to begin his overland journey to Nola, a city in the Central African Republic.

— Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of adventurer

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parures

parvenu

parvenus

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“Parvenu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parvenu. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of parvenu

noun

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