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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upstart
The Bourbon Boom of the 2010s saw a proliferation of small whiskey upstarts.
—
David Thomas Tao, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
But other brands caught on to GoPro's game, and upstarts like the DJI Osmo Action 6 and the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 come with larger sensors and lower prices than the Hero13 Black.
—Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026
For the last decade, upstarts like those owned by Mammoth have challenged the relevance and longstanding dominance of legacy giants like Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark.
—Amelia Lucas,melissa Repko, CNBC, 7 June 2026
Maybe a Senegal or a Croatia will have a bit of a run, but an upstart reaching even the quarterfinals would be a shock.
—Greg Cote
june 4, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for upstart
David Thomas Tao, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
But other brands caught on to GoPro's game, and upstarts like the DJI Osmo Action 6 and the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 come with larger sensors and lower prices than the Hero13 Black.
—Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026
For the last decade, upstarts like those owned by Mammoth have challenged the relevance and longstanding dominance of legacy giants like Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark.
—Amelia Lucas,melissa Repko, CNBC, 7 June 2026
Maybe a Senegal or a Croatia will have a bit of a run, but an upstart reaching even the quarterfinals would be a shock.
—Greg Cote
june 4, Miami Herald, 4 June 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
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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 23 Jun. 2026.
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