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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Recent Examples of upstart
There are a number of firms getting in on the action, including big familiar names and plucky upstarts.
—
New Atlas, 7 Feb. 2026
The concern is that the AI native upstarts, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, will increasingly disintermediate the relationship those big SaaS providers have with their customers and will obviate the need for these customers to upgrade to the AI agent offerings the SaaS giants themselves are offering.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Around 2015, upstarts like Chobani or BodyArmor began stealing market share from legacy brands.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2026
By contrast, upstarts like Comulate are eager to position themselves as the AI-native disruptors that can rapidly improve user experience.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstart
New Atlas, 7 Feb. 2026
The concern is that the AI native upstarts, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, will increasingly disintermediate the relationship those big SaaS providers have with their customers and will obviate the need for these customers to upgrade to the AI agent offerings the SaaS giants themselves are offering.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Around 2015, upstarts like Chobani or BodyArmor began stealing market share from legacy brands.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2026
By contrast, upstarts like Comulate are eager to position themselves as the AI-native disruptors that can rapidly improve user experience.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 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
-
She's joined on the climb by Becky Connor (Grace Caroline Currey), a fellow adventurer who's been struggling with depression since witnessing her husband, Dan (Mason Gooding), fall to his death while scaling a mountain the year prior.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
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Across four continents, his visionary quests as an entrepreneur, explorer, chieftain, and adventurer were all united by his lack of success.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Trouble begins brewing with the arrival of their nouveau riche neighbors, Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), and his ward, Isabella (Alison Oliver).—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
-
With the farm suddenly unsustainable, there’s nothing for it but to pack up and seek work in Pristina, where Hatixhe’s sister Lina (Fiona Gllavica) lives a comfortable nouveau riche life in a large, gleaming new-build home courtesy of her entrepreneur husband Alban (Alban Ukaj).—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upstart. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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