as in arriviste
one who has recently acquired wealth and social position
the kind of trophy house that a parvenu buys to prove to people, and to himself, that he has indeed arrived
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of parvenu
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
Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat.
—Lili Anolik, Vanities, 19 June 2017
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
Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat.
—Lili Anolik, Vanities, 19 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parvenu
Noun
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Compared with some of her peers, she was initially seen as an arriviste.—
Caitlin Moscatello,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2023
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Her circle includes an aunt who is a champion wrestler, a resident Goth named Isabel and sultry Penny Century, an arriviste married to a wealthy magnate with horns on his head.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2023
Noun
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At the same time, some of the marketers who are thriving are upstarts who cultivate online crowds.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
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The experience played out like a textbook clash between art and commerce—of indie upstarts versus corporate overlords.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The rule dates back to the 19th century and was founded by old-money circles in the Northeast to differentiate themselves from the nouveau riche trying to infiltrate the social elite.—
Starr Bowenbank,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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But Ahlers’ Jack is not content to become a nouveau riche nightmare, having spent the bulk of recent episodes dragging his feet about leaving the home and his employers, Agnes and Ada (Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon), whom he’s known for so long.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Adams first got a hankering for the brand when her Alaskan adventurer father started buying its clothes and gave her the catalogues.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
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The Australian adventurer rose to fame in 1996 when his show — which featured him and wife Terri Irwin running their wildlife refuge, the Australia Zoo — premiered.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parvenu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parvenu. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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