parvenus

Definition of parvenusnext
plural of parvenu
as in arrivistes
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for parvenus
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
Noun
  • Going public would put SpaceX in the company of older, traditional aerospace heavyweights, such as Boeing and Northrop Grumman, and industry upstarts, such as Rocket Lab and Firefly Aerospace.
    Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 26 Dec. 2025
  • In contrast, some upstarts show higher satisfaction scores than major entries despite their minimal market share.
    Ethan Stone, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Parvenus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parvenus. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on parvenus

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!