parvenu

noun
/ˈpɑː.və.njuː/UK/ˈpɑɹ.və.nju/US

Etymology

Borrowed from French parvenu, past participle of parvenir, from Latin perveniō (“arrive, reach”). See also parvenue f

  1. borrowed from parvenu

Definitions

  1. A person who has risen, climbed up, or has been promoted to a higher social class,…

    A person who has risen, climbed up, or has been promoted to a higher social class, especially through acquisition of wealth, privileges, or political authority but has not gained social acceptance by those within that new class.

    • But the favourite's power and influence provoke intense ill-feeling among other courtiers, who regard him as a sinister, usurping parvenu with ideas above his station, or perhaps even a sorcerer.
  2. Being a parvenu

    Being a parvenu; also, like, having the characteristics of, or associated with a parvenu.

    • The Progressives were of the educated middle class, angry at the rule of parvenu financiers and industrialists.
    • The majority of the adults, however, viewed Luisa Santiaga as the precious jewel of a rich and powerful family whom a parvenu telegraph operator was courting not for love but self-interest.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for parvenu. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA