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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of upstart
Still, Wall Street remains unconvinced this will be enough to prevent a loss of market share to AI-native products and upstarts.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Key Background Larry Ellison cofounded Oracle in 1977 and built it from a database upstart into one of the most valuable software companies in the world.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The company, founded in 2021 by a breakaway faction from OpenAI, was viewed as an upstart that tailored its chatbots to the needs of businesses and developers, rather than consumers.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Those upstarts include the corporate card contender Ramp, which is raising funds at a $40 billion valuation, according to the Wall Street Journal.
—Ben Weiss, Fortune, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Key Background Larry Ellison cofounded Oracle in 1977 and built it from a database upstart into one of the most valuable software companies in the world.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The company, founded in 2021 by a breakaway faction from OpenAI, was viewed as an upstart that tailored its chatbots to the needs of businesses and developers, rather than consumers.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Those upstarts include the corporate card contender Ramp, which is raising funds at a $40 billion valuation, according to the Wall Street Journal.
—Ben Weiss, Fortune, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upstart
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
Noun
-
Spurrier, who predominantly sold French vintages, wasn’t expecting anything other than a trouncing for the parvenu.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
25 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The Disclosure Day actor, 56, and British adventurer Bear Grylls, 51, skydive over the Irish Sea for the season finale of Bear Grylls Is Running Wild, which airs Tuesday, June 9, on FOX.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
-
The Multi-Rack variant also comes with a stain-resistant load area floor and is designed to double as an effective tiny adventurer, DIY transporter, everyday bag carrier and all-around cargo workhorse.—
C.C. Weiss
May 19,
New Atlas,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Vandelli thinks Stilley is nouveau riche; Stilley thinks Vandelli is a bully.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Emulation of upper-crust speech norms became popular among the nouveau riche.—
Valerie M. Fridland,
The Conversation,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upstart. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
