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

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 Other beauty upstarts may be dependent on viral TikTok moments, an area where strategics have a hard time gauging. Kimberly Chin, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024 In 2023, when a resurgent, upstart Newcastle reached the final of the League Cup — their first of any kind for 24 years — and fans surfed on an ocean of beer in Trafalgar Square, Wembley almost felt like an afterthought. Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025 After a splashy debut at Cannes, no major U.S. distributor seemed willing to touch the controversial feature until upstart Briarcliff picked it up. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025 At 91, Hall was the oldest-ever member of the House of Representatives, and his voters seemed in no mood to replace him with a young upstart. Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for upstart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upstart
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
  • 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
  • With his distinctive striped coat and bright, curious eyes, Gizmo is the epitome of a little adventurer.
    The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 16 Feb. 2025
  • Along for the ride will be fellow adventurers Eric Philips of Australia, Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway and Rabea Rogge of Germany.
    Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The battle of the nouveau riche could just as easily be referred to as the Oil Firm.
    Darren Richman, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Advertisement Who does Johnson consider nouveau riche?
    Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upstart. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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