parvenu

/ˌˈpɑrvəˌˈnu/

Other forms: parvenus

A parvenu is an upstart, somebody who's suddenly rich but doesn't fit into his new social status. If you're a parvenu, people might also describe you as "nouveau-riche" or an "arriviste." Maybe it's not quite so insulting in French.

The Beverly Hillbillies, a sitcom from the 1960s, featured the Clampetts, classic parvenus who strike oil in their backwoods swampland. They arrive at their mansion in Beverly Hills, dressed in overalls, in their pick-up truck, with their shabby furniture strapped on top. As parvenus, they don’t fit in — to say the least. Parvenu is from French, and it's the past participle of parvenir, "arrived."

Definitions of parvenu

1. noun

   a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class
   synonyms: arriviste, nouveau-riche, upstart

   types:

   climber, social climber

   someone seeking social prominence by obsequious behavior

   junior

   term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male

   lion-hunter

   someone who tries to attract social lions as guests

   type of:

   disagreeable person, unpleasant person

   a person who is not pleasant or agreeable
2. adjective

   characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position
   synonyms: nouveau-riche, parvenue, upstart

   pretentious

   making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction
3. adjective

   of or characteristic of a parvenu
   synonyms: parvenue

   new

   not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered