Definition of arrivistenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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
  • The desire to merge audiences — younger viewers for the mainstream news groups and broader audiences for the digital upstarts — is at the crux of many of these new agreements, which are expected to get more ambitious as time progresses.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
  • In their place are upstarts such as the Philadelphia Flyers, who last qualified in 2020.
    John Wawrow, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • For the project, Theron, famous for performing the vast majority of her stunts in action films like Atomic Blonde and The Old Guard, trained with rock climber Beth Rodden to believably portray Sasha, an avid adventurer.
    Nigel Smith, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Academy Award winners Fraser and Weisz will reprise their roles as adventurer Rick O’Connell and Egyptologist Evelyn O’Connell in the movie, plot details for which are being kept — not unironically — under wraps.
    Angelique Jackson, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Arriviste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arriviste. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on arriviste

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster