arrivistes

[US]/ˌæriː'viːst/
[UK]/ˌæri'vist/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

n. Upstart; someone who is determined to succeed by any means necessary; ambitious person.

Example Sentences

How delightful to find an arriviste underling of 53 and a slacking boss of 70 in a thrusting, ageist industry such as investment banking.

The arriviste tried to fit in with the upper class.

She was considered an arriviste by the old money families.

The arriviste flaunted their newfound wealth.

The arriviste was determined to climb the social ladder quickly.

Many viewed the arriviste as lacking class and sophistication.

The arriviste's lavish spending attracted attention.

He was an arriviste in the world of art.

The arriviste's rise to power was met with skepticism.

The arriviste was eager to prove themselves to the established elite.

Being an arriviste can come with its own set of challenges.

Real-world Examples

By the 1970s and 1980s writers were looking down their noses at social climbers, in plays like Top Girls and Abigail's Party, in which a middle-class arriviste serves cheesy nibbles and the wrong kind of wine.

Source: The Economist (Summary)

Then Violet McKisco, whose prettiness had been piped to the surface of her, so that she ceased her struggle to make tangible to herself her shadowy position as the wife of an arriviste who had not arrived.

Source: The Night's Gentle Embrace (Part 1)

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