as in parvenus
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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Recent Examples of arrivistes
Certainly there’s a long and distinguished tradition of associating Jewish arrivistes with entrepreneurialism, avarice, and clannishness.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrivistes
upstarts
Noun
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Around 2015, upstarts like Chobani or BodyArmor began stealing market share from legacy brands.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2026
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By contrast, upstarts like Comulate are eager to position themselves as the AI-native disruptors that can rapidly improve user experience.—
John Hyatt,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arrivistes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrivistes. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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