Definition of arriviste
: one that is a new and uncertain arrival (as in social position or artistic endeavor)
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Examples of arriviste in a Sentence
the town's old money immediately shunned these vulgar arrivistes, who may have had the cash but certainly not the class
Did You Know?
An arriviste is someone who is just beginning to "arrive," in the sense of achieving success or making a name for oneself. Often the word can have slightly negative connotations, indicating a person who is highly aggressive or perhaps unscrupulous in his or her climb to the top. Like its synonym parvenu, arriviste can also indicate a lack of certainty or confidence in one's newfound position. Arriviste is something of a new arrival itself, relatively speaking. English speakers borrowed the term from French in the early 20th century.
Origin and Etymology of arriviste
French, from arriver
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