arriviste

noun

ˌa-ri-ˈvēst How to pronounce arriviste (audio)
Definition of arrivistenext
as in parvenu
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

Relevance

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 arriviste Her circle includes an aunt who is a champion wrestler, a resident Goth named Isabel and sultry Penny Century, an arriviste married to a wealthy magnate with horns on his head. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2023 The underdog pick is Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun), an ingenuous arriviste who, long-limbed and blunder-prone, provides much of the show’s comic relief. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021 Three years ago, Gaga got dinged for being an Oscars arriviste; there could have been a hundred people in the room and not enough of them voted for her in Best Actress. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2021 But every now and then even captains of industry get taken by surprise, and lately they’ve been kept on their toes by a barrage of novel financial vehicles and the arriviste investors driving up their value. — Emily Stewart, Town & Country, 3 June 2021 See All Example Sentences for arriviste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arriviste
  1. parvenu
  2. upstart
  3. adventurer
Noun
  • Spurrier, who predominantly sold French vintages, wasn’t expecting anything other than a trouncing for the parvenu.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 25 May 2026
  • Raveendran, at least on paper, assumes his place among those parvenus thanks to his effort in internet education.
    — Saritha Rai, Fortune, 29 July 2019
Definition of parvenu
Noun
  • The ecommerce upstart, which quickly outstripped legacy rivals like H&M and Zara in online apparel sales during the pandemic, saw its New York, then London, listing aspirations unravel amid mounting regulatory and political scrutiny.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • On one side, existing chip competitors and a growing group of upstarts are both vying for a bigger share of the market.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of upstart
Noun
  • Their quest is complicated by Hampton Squib, an inexperienced and wildly underprepared adventurer whose dream of heroism far exceeds his abilities.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The goal, according to the museum, is to tell the story of Buffett not simply as a musician, but as a sailor, pilot, author, entrepreneur, adventurer, philanthropist and storyteller.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of adventurer

Browse Nearby Words

arriving
arriviste
arrivistes
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Arriviste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arriviste. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All