parvenu

/pˈɑːvənˌuː/

/pˈɑːɹvənˌuː/

[noun] [adjective]

Parvenu

[NOUN]

a low-born individual who has gained quick and unexpected power, success, or wealth

synonyms : arriviste

nouveau-riche

upstart

parvenu

[ADJECTIVE]

of or characteristic of a parvenu

characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position

synonyms : nouveau-riche

upstart(a)

Examples

1. Manfred, for his part, is a parvenu of suspicious reading, coming upon Conrad's body mangled beneath the helmet, he's entirely indifferent to the banal facticity of the corpse, preferring, instead, to focus attention on the object that calls out to be read allegorically, or emblematically, the helmet.

2. Barbara Bush, where Nancy is seen as coming out of this kind of parvenu culture of Hollywood, Barbara Bush has roots that go back to the Mayflower.