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
Recent Examples of arriviste from the Web
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There’s been much liberal harrumphing over the Trump White House giving special access to conservative media arrivistes.
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There’s been much liberal harrumphing over the Trump White House giving special access to conservative media arrivistes.
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The Thiel fellows were ostensibly better-equipped than many of the arrivistes, with their $4,000 monthly stipends and their benefactor’s name behind them.
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Since his younger days as a Manhattan arriviste, Mr. Trump has cultivated a talent for both courting and condemning the press — sometimes in the same breath.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arriviste.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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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