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
Cartel bosses are breathing down his neck and a young upstart has been posing as the new guy in town eager to purchase the club.
—
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2025
Flashbacks are sure to flow from his victorious Super Bowl debut there as the 2001 New England Patriots’ upstart quarterback.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
Dookie, which helped turn the pop-punk upstarts into global superstars decades ago, declines a pair of rungs, making a home at No. 28 this week.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Founded in 2018, the upstart sailing league involves 12 international teams racing on high-speed, 50-foot Catamarans, known as F50s.
—Harriet Taylor, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2025
Flashbacks are sure to flow from his victorious Super Bowl debut there as the 2001 New England Patriots’ upstart quarterback.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
Dookie, which helped turn the pop-punk upstarts into global superstars decades ago, declines a pair of rungs, making a home at No. 28 this week.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Founded in 2018, the upstart sailing league involves 12 international teams racing on high-speed, 50-foot Catamarans, known as F50s.
—Harriet Taylor, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upstart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upstart
Noun
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Where’s our charming arriviste?—
Jason Gay,
WSJ,
21 Dec. 2020
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Compared with some of her peers, she was initially seen as an arriviste.—
Caitlin Moscatello,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2023
Noun
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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
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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
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Here are five additional pairs of shoes that also provide support for plus-size adventurers.—
Robin Raven,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Apr. 2025
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Along for the ride will be fellow adventurers Eric Philips of Australia, Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway and Rabea Rogge of Germany.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The battle of the nouveau riche could just as easily be referred to as the Oil Firm.—
Darren Richman,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement Who does Johnson consider nouveau riche?—
Ben Bolch,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Upstart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upstart. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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