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
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Recent Examples of arriviste
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
Though the indigenous Jewish often preserved their own customs (e.g., Romaniotes), by and large they were absorbed by the arriviste Sephardim.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Jan. 2011
See All Example Sentences for arriviste
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
Though the indigenous Jewish often preserved their own customs (e.g., Romaniotes), by and large they were absorbed by the arriviste Sephardim.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Jan. 2011
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 concern is that the AI native upstarts, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, will increasingly disintermediate the relationship those big SaaS providers have with their customers and will obviate the need for these customers to upgrade to the AI agent offerings the SaaS giants themselves are offering.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Around 2015, upstarts like Chobani or BodyArmor began stealing market share from legacy brands.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Gorging aside, this year’s restaurant week should hold enough attraction for any level of food adventurer.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
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When achieving the summit or the darkest depths becomes essential to self-worth, death can become a worthwhile risk for an extreme adventurer.—
Christopher Ferguson,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arriviste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arriviste. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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