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
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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
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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
Noun
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Bread Financial works with upstarts like legal AI firm Harvey and AI content platform Jasper.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Tech companies and artificial intelligence upstarts have unleashed a South Bay leasing surge that has produced the region’s best quarter for office space rental activity since the end of the coronavirus outbreak, a new report has disclosed.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Displays of it, particularly in architecture or public art, are often perceived as tacky, kitschy or, heaven forbid, nouveau riche.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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The series is set in late 19th-century London and follows four generations of the Forsytes, who have lived and thrived as members of the nouveau riche for five decades.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The result is an often exhilarating, often disturbing and always poignant tale of an artist and adventurer who lived to challenge the limits of what humans could do.—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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His journey to becoming a businessman, father, adventurer, esteemed surfboard shaper, and legendary surfer – he was featured on the cover of Surfer magazine in 1962 and has a spot on Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach – began as a student at the University of South Dakota.—
Michelle Breier,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parvenu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parvenu. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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