[
UK
/pˈɑːvənˌuː/
]
ADJECTIVE
- characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position
- of or characteristic of a parvenu
NOUN
- a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class
How To Use parvenu In A Sentence
- The others are parvenus and upstarts in comparison.
- And as for a parvenue, well that would be Sarah Palin would it not. On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with...
- It is curious that we, offsprings of parvenue success, should be capable of such repudiation. The Kempton-Wace Letters
- My comment that arms control is not the exclusive parvenue of this nation of ours, especially considering that we are the largest arms dealers in the world, stands. No Impeachment? No Problem. Think Nixon and President Pelosi
- Their repulse was a bitter humiliation to the _parvenue_ Empress, whose resentment took the form (along with many other curious results) of opening the present Boulevard St. Germain, its line being intentionally carried through the heart of that quarter, teeming with historic "Hotels" of the old aristocracy, where beautiful constructions were mercilessly torn down to make way for the new avenue. Worldly Ways and Byways
- As Modeste, dazzled by the magnificence of the great lords, entered and beheld this lesser Versailles, she suddenly remembered her approaching interview with the celebrated duchesses, and began to fear that she might seem awkward, or provincial, or parvenue; in fact, she lost her self-possession, and heartily repented having wished for a hunt. Modeste Mignon
- The lady who had known the Guer-mantes since 1914 considered another who had been introduced to them in 1916 a parvenue, gave her the nod of a dowager duchess while inspecting her through her lorgnon, and avowed with a significant gesture that no one in society knew whether the lady was even married. Time Regained
- La lettre m'est parvenue dans un bien mauvais etat ... Pinku-tk Diary Entry
- The lady who had known the Guer-mantes since 1914 considered another who had been introduced to them in 1916 a parvenue, gave her the nod of a dowager duchess while inspecting her through her lorgnon, and avowed with a significant gesture that no one in society knew whether the lady was even married. Time Regained
- Une invitation m'est d'ailleurs parvenue par e-mail. Quechup = spammeurs — Climb to the Stars
