nouveau riche

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. New money; wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy.
adj
  1. Newly rich; like a nouveau riche.

Pronunciation

/ˌnuː.vəʊ ˈɹiːʃ/ /ˌnu.voʊ ˈɹiʃ/ /ˌnu.voʊ ˈɹɪt͡ʃ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Persent101-nouveau riche.wav

Word forms

nouveau riche nouveaux riches

Etymology

An unadapted borrowing from French nouveau riche (literally “new rich”).

Related words

Derived words

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