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.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To parvenu
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Parvenu
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
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
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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
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Example sentences
Un roi parvenu, and in those regions, would have found himself in.
Everyone in town was a parvenu, so there was no great weight of tradition or social order with which to contend.
Un roi parvenu, and in those regions, would have found himself in a precarious situation.
Amanda, the beautiful sister, can't forgive him for being the parvenu who saved her life.
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