as in parvenu
one who has recently acquired wealth and social position the town's old money immediately shunned these vulgar arrivistes, who may have had the cash but certainly not the class

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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 arriviste Henry VII was a medieval arriviste, the last man standing after the ruinous Wars of the Roses. Dominic Green, WSJ, 12 Nov. 2022 The underdog pick is Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun), an ingenuous arriviste who, long-limbed and blunder-prone, provides much of the show’s comic relief. Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021 Three years ago, Gaga got dinged for being an Oscars arriviste; there could have been a hundred people in the room and not enough of them voted for her in Best Actress. Nate Jones, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2021 But every now and then even captains of industry get taken by surprise, and lately they’ve been kept on their toes by a barrage of novel financial vehicles and the arriviste investors driving up their value. Emily Stewart, Town & Country, 3 June 2021 See All Example Sentences for arriviste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arriviste
Noun
  • In 1952, backed by little more than his reputation as a war hero and a fortune staked by his parvenu father, 35-year-old John F. Kennedy swiped a Senate seat from Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, himself a wealthy combat veteran.
    Kevin Mahnken, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2020
  • Raveendran, at least on paper, assumes his place among those parvenus thanks to his effort in internet education.
    Saritha Rai, Fortune, 29 July 2019
Noun
  • Chief among the upstarts is Zohran Mamdani, a two-term state Assemblyman from Queens who has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 23 June 2025
  • Instead, Thompson argues, that media is following so many other economic forces, with a robust world of upstarts, and the biggest players getting bigger.
    Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • On an east to west traverse of Antarctica in 2005, White Desert co-founder Patrick Woodhead was so captivated by the rugged beauty of the interior that he and his wife, Robyn, were inspired to give other intrepid adventurers the chance to experience it.
    Chloe Berge, Outside Online, 17 June 2025
  • The first of their kind in the state, these rustic lodgings afford adventurers comfortable (if not luxurious) places to overnight during mountain-biking, hiking, and fishing forays deep into the wilderness, says Shaun Deutschlander.
    Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2025

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“Arriviste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arriviste. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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