the kind of trophy house that a parvenu buys to prove to people, and to himself, that he has indeed arrived

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1952, backed by little more than his reputation as a war hero and a fortune staked by his parvenu father, 35-year-old John F. Kennedy swiped a Senate seat from Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, himself a wealthy combat veteran. Kevin Mahnken, The New Republic, "The Haunting of Joe Kennedy III," 1 Sep. 2020

Raveendran, at least on paper, assumes his place among those parvenus thanks to his effort in internet education. Saritha Rai, Fortune, "How a 37-Year-Old Former Teacher Became India’s Newest Billionaire," 29 July 2019

Raveendran, at least on paper, assumes his place among those parvenus thanks to his effort in internet education. Saritha Rai, Fortune, "How a 37-Year-Old Former Teacher Became India’s Newest Billionaire," 29 July 2019

Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat. Lili Anolik, Vanities, "Donald Trump’s Biggest Mistake Might Have Been Getting Elected," 19 June 2017

Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat. Lili Anolik, Vanities, "Donald Trump’s Biggest Mistake Might Have Been Getting Elected," 19 June 2017

Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat. Lili Anolik, Vanities, "Donald Trump’s Biggest Mistake Might Have Been Getting Elected," 19 June 2017

Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat. Lili Anolik, Vanities, "Donald Trump’s Biggest Mistake Might Have Been Getting Elected," 19 June 2017

Well, rejecting the pretensions of the peacocking parvenu is one of the sweetest pleasures left to the fallen aristocrat. Lili Anolik, Vanities, "Donald Trump’s Biggest Mistake Might Have Been Getting Elected," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'parvenu.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.