parvenu
Use parvenu in a sentence
vəˌnu, -ˌnyu, ˌpɑr noun
1.
a person who has recently or suddenly acquired wealth, importance, position, or the like, but has not yet developed the conventionally appropriate manners, dress, surroundings, etc.
adjective
2.
being or resembling a parvenu.
3.
characteristic of a parvenu.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To parvenu
00:10
parvenu
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
parvenu (ˈpɑːvəˌnjuː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a person, esp a man, who, having risen socially or economically, is considered to be an upstart or to lack the appropriate refinement for his or her new position |
| —adj | |
| 2. | of or characteristic of a parvenu |
| [C19: from French, from parvenir to attain, from Latin pervenīre, from per through + venīre to come] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Main Entry: | parvenu |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | pertaining to a recent rise in wealth or position |
| Etymology: | Latin per 'through' + venire 'to come' |
| Main Entry: | parvenu |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a person who has suddenly attained wealth or position but has not yet gained acceptance in the upper class; also, an upstart who has not yet gained the manner associated with this new position |
| Etymology: | Latin per 'through' + venire 'to come' |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
parvenu
"upstart," 1802, from Fr. parvenu, "said of an obscure person who has made a great fortune," noun use of pp. of parvenir "to arrive," from L. pervenire, from per- "through" + venire "to come" (see venue).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Amanda, the beautiful sister, can't forgive him for being the parvenu who saved her life.
It is found among scattered and broken peoples, among the declining and impoverished, among the parvenu or recently restored.
Anyhow, the image of a parvenu with weak foundations was laid for good.
How these two peoples-the destined parvenu and the doomed caretaker of a continent-would have interacted is a potent mystery.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
