parvenus

noun

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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for parvenus
  1. arrivistes
  2. upstarts
Noun
  • And yet, the digital arrivistes could only gain so much traction with a broader customer base and needed a boost from tie-ins with old-school counterparts.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of arrivistes
Noun
  • In recent years, Nielsen has also had to contend with a number of would-be upstarts hoping to make inroads into its business with media buying agencies and TV companies.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Good luck drawing a crowd of that magnitude every other week via one of the digital upstarts.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of upstarts
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

parvenu
parvenus
parvis
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Cite this Entry

“Parvenus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parvenus. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on parvenus

Nglish: Translation of parvenus for Spanish Speakers

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