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parvenu

   Also found in: Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
par·ve·nu  (pärv-n, -ny)
n.
A person who has suddenly risen to a higher social and economic class and has not yet gained social acceptance by others in that class.

[French, from past participle of parvenir, to arrive, from Latin pervenre : per, through; see per1 in Indo-European roots + venre, to come; see gw- in Indo-European roots.]

parve·nu adj.

parvenu [ˈpɑːvəˌnjuː]
n
(Sociology) 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
(Sociology) of or characteristic of a parvenu
[from French, from parvenir to attain, from Latin pervenīre, from per through + venīre to come]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.parvenu - a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class
disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable
social climber, climber - someone seeking social prominence by obsequious behavior
junior - term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male; "look here, junior, it's none of your business"
Adj.1.parvenuparvenu - characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position
pretentious - making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction; "a pretentious country house"; "a pretentious fraud"; "a pretentious scholarly edition"
2.parvenu - of or characteristic of a parvenu
new - not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered; "a new law"; "new cars"; "a new comet"; "a new friend"; "a new year"; "the New World"
Translations
parvenu [ˈpɑːvənjuː] Nadvenedizo/a m/f
parvenu
nEmporkömmling m, → Parvenü m
parvenu [ˈpɑːvənˌjuː] n (frm) → parvenu m inv
parvenu [ˈpɑːvənˌjuː] n (frm) → parvenu m inv


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Only old Catherine Mingott, with her absence of moral prejudices and almost parvenu indifference to the subtler distinctions, might have bridged the abyss; but she had never opened a book or looked at a picture, and cared for music only because it reminded her of gala nights at the Italiens, in the days of her triumph at the Tuileries.
One of these was a middle-aged man of very respectable appearance, but with the stamp of parvenu upon him, a man whom nobody knew, and who evidently knew nobody.
And when it came to blood, beside her I was parvenu.
 
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