as in arriviste
one who has recently acquired wealth and social position
having made their money in oil decades ago, they consider these billionaire dot-commers mere upstarts
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upstart
Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur face Atletico Madrid while Norwegian upstarts Bodo/Glimt — who have beaten City, Atletico and Inter Milan this season — take on Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon.
—
Reuters, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
Formerly a beacon of relative calm among his hometown’s more gonzo street rappers, the Flint upstart packs his latest album with more jokes, quirks, and personality than ever before.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
Bitcoin, which has been plummeting in value, has come to feel less like a rebel upstart, more like an eccentric uncle.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
There are a number of firms getting in on the action, including big familiar names and plucky upstarts.
—New Atlas, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Reuters, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
Formerly a beacon of relative calm among his hometown’s more gonzo street rappers, the Flint upstart packs his latest album with more jokes, quirks, and personality than ever before.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
Bitcoin, which has been plummeting in value, has come to feel less like a rebel upstart, more like an eccentric uncle.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
There are a number of firms getting in on the action, including big familiar names and plucky upstarts.
—New Atlas, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upstart
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
-
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
Noun
-
Daddy’s little girl and favorite adventurer.—
GMA Team,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Stan was an adventurer who once walked 26 days in the Amazon to be treated for an injury.—
Scott Pelley,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upstart. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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