nouveau riche

as in parvenu
one who has recently acquired wealth and social position a nouveau riche who is reportedly using his money to buy his way into Palm Beach society

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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 nouveau riche The battle of the nouveau riche could just as easily be referred to as the Oil Firm. Darren Richman, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 Advertisement Who does Johnson consider nouveau riche? Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024 The Sun Devils are nouveau riche to this rarified air. Matthew Self, The Arizona Republic, 5 Dec. 2024 The battle of the nouveau riche could just as easily be referred to as the Oil Firm. Darren Richman, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nouveau riche
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nouveau riche
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
  • From the extremely drab future of 2176, three adventurers are sent back in time to July 4, 1776 but mistakenly land in the year 1976.
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
  • Hikers, climbers, skiers and outdoor adventurers err and put themselves in danger.
    Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 24 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Nouveau riche.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nouveau%20riche. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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