celebutante means A young, usually female socialite, especially one of limited accomplishment, who is the focus of sufficient media attention and public interest to be regarded as a celebrity. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
celebutante is pronounced /sɪˈlɛb.juːˌtɑːnt/.
Why “celebutante” is a great word
CELEBUTANTE — [Noun] A young socialite, especially one of limited accomplishment, who attains celebrity status through media attention and public interest. Coined in 1939 by the columnist Walter Winchell from a blend of 'celebrity' and 'debutante'. Unlike a 'debutante', whose entrance is a sanctioned ritual of an old-guard aristocracy, or a 'celebrity', whose fame typically implies some professional substrate, a celebutante is a creature of pure refraction, famous for being famous. She is the meticulously careless spill of a cocktail dress, the heir photographed mid-stumble leaving a nightclub, the perpetual guest at the velvet rope—a specter of renown in a culture that has forgotten the difference between being seen and being noteworthy.
noun
- A young, usually female socialite, especially one of limited accomplishment, who is the focus of sufficient media attention and public interest to be regarded as a celebrity.“Lisa Edelstein, a nice girl from a New Jersey suburb, is explaining how she got to be Lisa E., New York's reigning Queen of the Night, Girl of the Moment, new Edie Sedgwick and top "celebutante" of 1986. "Being a celebutante means you're famous for not really doing anything," the 20-year-old says. "You just try to get to know as many people as you can, so that you know everybody."”