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upstart

upstart

11 7.4
A person who rises quickly to wealth or power and seems rude
  • noun
  • /ˈʌpˌstɑrt/
  • Offensive
translation icon : advenedizo
  • The Democrats have have made their system so that it is impossible for an upstart or an outsider to win the Democratic nomination.
  • a young upstart

Are you no better than those young Kingdom upstarts?

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Examples

  • That I'm an upstart, a nobody who's gotten control of the union.

    Island in the Sun (1957)

  • So, I am not going to let some little upstart to spoil things for us now.

    A Christmas Star (2015)

  • If you're a professional, make yourself available to a young upstart to give them advice like that.

  • You kept doors open for young upstarts like me wherever you were.

    Blog text (6)

  • Next to him is that feisty young upstart, Turbo.

    Turbo (2013)

  • A working class upstart orator is one thing, but a land-owning, self-styled man of the people like Hunt is quite another.

    Peterloo (2018)

  • The man who killed Monk Eastman was pushing around a mob of upstarts.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • "War hero, Philip Schuyler, loses Senate seat to young upstart, Aaron Burr."

    Hamilton (2025)

  • Sonya was a scheming, willful, selfish upstart, determined to live free and well by whatever means she could.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The new CEO was considered an upstart by many in the company due to his rapid rise to power and unconventional approach.

Synonyms

up-and-comer
vsupstart
11 6.0

A person who is becoming successful and well known

is a sudden rise to wealth or power often marked by arrogance
parvenu
vsupstart
  • Formal
1 9.9

A person who recently became rich but is not accepted by high society

is seen more for arrogant behavior and social rudeness than only exclusion
arriviste
vsupstart
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who recently became rich or important and shows off, not accepted by older social groups

is a sudden rise often seen as arrogant but not necessarily showy
nouveau-riche
vsupstart
  • Offensive
9.2

A person who recently became rich and shows wealth in a loud, not elegant way

is a sudden rise to wealth or power often seen as arrogant

Antonyms

traditional
994 1.5

Following long-held customs and ways of doing things

established
4.2

Known and accepted because it has existed for a long time

How Disdained

arriviste
  • Offensive
1 9.9
parvenu
  • Formal
1 9.9
upstart
  • Offensive
11 7.4
nouveau riche
  • Offensive
1 8.5

Surface Forms

upstart singular
upstarts plural

Morphology

upstart = up + start (semi-transparent) = up + start

The compound 'up' + 'start' clearly suggests a sudden rise, but the social connotations of arrogance or lack of manners are idiomatic and not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Upstart The word upstart comes from up- and start, meaning 'to rise' or 'begin suddenly'. So it paints a picture of a person who suddenly 'jumps up' into wealth or power and can seem arrogant.