as in arrivistes
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 upstarts
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
In part, the contest echoes the challenge from populist upstarts faced by mainstream parties around the world.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
But this is a new world for crypto, one in which digital currencies feel less like rebel upstarts and more like an eccentric uncle.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
As far as Atlanta rap upstarts go, Sk8star has all the goods, and his new tape Designer Junkie synthesizes them into one of the smoother leaps into the big leagues.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 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
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
Reuters, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
In part, the contest echoes the challenge from populist upstarts faced by mainstream parties around the world.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
But this is a new world for crypto, one in which digital currencies feel less like rebel upstarts and more like an eccentric uncle.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
As far as Atlanta rap upstarts go, Sk8star has all the goods, and his new tape Designer Junkie synthesizes them into one of the smoother leaps into the big leagues.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upstarts
arrivistes
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
Cite this Entry
“Upstarts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upstarts. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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