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
-
The show is based on the Tomb Raider video game franchise, which follows the adventures of the famed archaeologist and adventurer.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Mar. 2026
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Lisa Jhung writes about running and other outdoor sports and the gear that goes with them as a freelance writer and adventurer living in Boulder, Colorado.—
Lisa Jhung,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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If the digital nouveau riche have sufficient discretionary income to unseat the coupon-clipping linear-TV gang, all that outsized buying power may not necessarily translate to a full-on tech takeover.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upstart. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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