as in arriviste
one who has recently acquired wealth and social position
the kind of trophy house that a parvenu buys to prove to people, and to himself, that he has indeed arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples 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 parvenu
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
Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat.
—Lili Anolik, Vanities, 19 June 2017
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
Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat.
—Lili Anolik, Vanities, 19 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parvenu
Noun
-
Where’s our charming arriviste?—
Jason Gay,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2020
-
Compared with some of her peers, she was initially seen as an arriviste.—
Caitlin Moscatello,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2023
Noun
-
Plus, for the WNBA players competing in this upstart league, Unrivaled offers an opportunity to bank significant offseason income, in the United States.—
Sean Gregory,
TIME,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Tech giants like Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and smaller upstarts have long been pushing virtual reality headsets.—
Kate Conger,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Advertisement Who does Johnson consider nouveau riche?—
Ben Bolch,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Dec. 2024
-
The central question of whether love can conquer money is almost outshone by the film’s dazzling surroundings and Rachel’s nouveau riche friends, played perfectly by Awkwafina and Ken Jeong.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
10 Sep. 2024
Noun
-
Giacomo Casanova, who lived from 1725 to 1798, was a lawyer, a writer, an adventurer, a gambler and a scoundrel who found himself on the wrong side of the law.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
The Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2025
-
Fireproof Lockbox $19 at Amazon Keeping your valuables safe is a need for all travelers, and this option is great for solo adventurers who pack light or want to keep their items on hand.—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near parvenu
Cite this Entry
“Parvenu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parvenu. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share