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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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
-
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
-
Compared with some of her peers, she was initially seen as an arriviste.—
Caitlin Moscatello,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2023
Noun
-
The upstart Williams continues to immediately ingratiate himself to the main event picture.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The Clippers are no longer an upstart and the Lakers are no longer among the NBA’s elite, all of which makes Thursday night’s crosstown showdown at the Intuit Dome just another midseason game.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For decades, when most people thought about Baden-Baden, the image that likely came to mind was that of a rather stuffy luxury resort where wealthy seniors shared the town with nouveau riche newcomers.—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
-
The long-gestating Amazon show is based on the video game franchise, following the adventures of world-famous archaeologist and adventurer Lara Croft.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Griffith was there, as was the adventurer Robert Ripley and the editor John Farrar.—
Michael Waters,
New Yorker,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parvenu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parvenu. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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