as in parvenus
one who has recently acquired wealth and social position
the town's old money immediately shunned these vulgar arrivistes, who may have had the cash but certainly not the class
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of arrivistes
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
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arrivistes
upstarts
Noun
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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
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There are a number of firms getting in on the action, including big familiar names and plucky upstarts.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arrivistes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arrivistes. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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