parvenu means being a parvenu; also, like, having the characteristics of, or associated with a parvenu. It carries an Arena rating of 1653, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, parvenu ranks #851 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,063 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,533 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #2,181 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
parvenu is pronounced /ˈpɑː.və.njuː/.
Why “parvenu” is a great word
A person newly risen to a higher social or economic class, but not yet accepted into it. The word arrived in English around 1802 from the French parvenu, past participle of parvenir ("to arrive, reach"), itself from Latin perveniō ("I arrive, reach"), from per- ("through") + veniō ("I come"). Unlike an aristocrat, whose status is a birthright, or the nouveau riche, whose flaw is often merely a garish display of wealth, the parvenu suffers from a more profound and anxious deficit of belonging. It is the too-loud laugh at a private joke, the uncomfortably stiff brocade of an unbroken-in suit, the relentless polish on heirlooms bought only yesterday—the poignant spectacle of arrival without the grace of ever having been there.
Etymology
Borrowed from French parvenu, past participle of parvenir, from Latin perveniō (“arrive, reach”). See also parvenue f
adj
- Being a parvenu; also, like, having the characteristics of, or associated with a parvenu.
noun
- A person who has risen, climbed up, or has been promoted to a higher social class, especially through acquisition of wealth, privileges, or political authority but has not gained social acceptance by those within that new class.e.g.“But the favourite's power and influence provoke intense ill-feeling among other courtiers, who regard him as a sinister, usurping parvenu with ideas above his station, or perhaps even a sorcerer.” — 2001 January 31, Francis Wheen, “The whole truth about Peter's friends”, in The Guardian:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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