nouveau riche

Meanings

nounnouveau riche (countable and uncountable, plural nouveaux riches)

countablederogatoryuncountableNew money; wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy.
Twenty-four hours later we were both in the vast halls of the Winter Palace in full uniform, as bedizened with gold as a nouveau riche’s drawing-room.
1921, Lord Frederic Hamilton, Here, There And Everywhere
1 more example
You must find your opening at Paris. I wish you to spend a year in the capital, and live, not extravagantly, like a nouveau riche, but in a way not unsuited to your rank, and permitting you all the social advantages that belong to it.
1873, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, chapter VII, in The Parisians, book III
Synonyms: parvenu, arriviste, neo-rich · Antonyms: vieux riche, nouveau pauvre

adjectivenouveau riche (not comparable)

not comparableNewly rich; like a nouveau riche.
1 more example
Her supreme charm was the simplicity that comes of taking it for granted that people are born with carriages and country-places: it never occurred to her that such congenital attributes could be matter for self-consciousness, and she had none of the nouveau riche prudery which classes poverty with the nude in art and is not sure how to behave in the presence of either.
1899, Edith Wharton, “A Cup of Cold Water”, in The Greater Inclination

Synonyms & antonyms

nounNew money; wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy.

Similar

parvenu arriviste neo-rich

Opposite

vieux riche nouveau pauvre

Also see

neo-rich new money upstart

Origin

Frenchnouveau riche
Englishnouveau riche

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

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans nuweryk, nuwegeld

nuweryknew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
nuwegeldnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Arabic مُحْدَث اَلنَّعْمَة

مُحْدَث اَلنَّعْمَة (muḥdaṯ an-naʕma)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Bulgarian новобогата́ш

новобогата́ш (novobogatáš)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Catalan nou-ric

nou-ricnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Chinese Cantonese 暴發戶 /暴发户, 土豪

暴發戶 /暴发户 (bou⁶ faat³ wu⁶)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
土豪 (tou² hou⁴)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Chinese Mandarin 暴發戶 /暴发户, 土豪

暴發戶 /暴发户 (bàofāhù)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
土豪 (tǔháo)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Czech zbohatlík

zbohatlíknew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Esperanto novriĉulo

novriĉulonew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Finnish uusrikkaat, uusrikas

uusrikkaatnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
uusrikasnewly rich

French nouveau riche, arriviste

nouveau richenew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
arrivistenew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
parvenunew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

German Neureicher, Emporkömmling

Neureichernew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
Emporkömmlingnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
Parvenünew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
neureichnewly rich

Greek νεόπλουτος

νεόπλουτος (neóploutos)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Hebrew נוּבּוֹרֶישֶׁ

נוּבּוֹרֶישֶׁ (nuvórish)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Hindi नए अमीर, कल का नवाब

नए अमीर (nae amīr)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
कल का नवाब (kal kā navāb)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Hungarian újgazdag, parvenü

újgazdagnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
parvenünew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
jöttmentnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Icelandic nýríkur maður

nýríkur maðurnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Indonesian orang kaya baru

orang kaya barunew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Irish lucht an nuashaibhris

lucht an nuashaibhrisnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Italian parvenu

parvenunew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Japanese 成り金, 成り上がり者

成り金 (narikin)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
成り上がり者 (nariagarimono)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
出来星 (dekiboshi)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Korean 졸부, 벼락부자

졸부 (jolbu)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
벼락부자 (byeorakbuja)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
돈주 (donju)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Latin novus homo

novus homonew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Lithuanian iškilėlis

iškilėlisnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Persian نودولتان

نودولتان (noddoltân)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Polish nuworysz, nuworyszka

nuworysznew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
nuworyszkanew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
parweniusznew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
parweniuszkanew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
dorobkiewicznew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
karierowicznew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
karierowiczkanew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
nowobogackinew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
nowobogackanew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
nuworyszowskinewly rich
parweniuszowskinewly rich
dorobkiewiczowskinewly rich
karierowiczowskinewly rich
nowobogackinewly rich

Portuguese parvenu, arrivista

parvenunew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
arrivistanew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
novo-riconew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Romanian parvenit, ajuns

parvenitnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
ajunsnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
căpătuitnew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Russian нувори́ш, парвеню́

нувори́ш (nuvoríš)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
парвеню́ (parvenjú)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
вы́скочка (výskočka)new money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Spanish arribista, nuevo rico

arribistanew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
nuevo riconew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Swedish nyrik

nyriknew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Tagalog bagong-yaman, biglang-yaman

bagong-yamannew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
biglang-yamannew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Turkish sonradan görme, kıro

sonradan görmenew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy
kıronew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Vietnamese nhà giàu mới nổi

nhà giàu mới nổinew money: wealthy persons whose fortunes are newly acquired, and who are therefore perceived to lack the refinement of those who were raised wealthy

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with nouveau riche

which switch rich pitch sandwich stitch niche ich hitch mitch enrich glitch itch twitch kitsch snitch lich tich titch chich bewitch arrow switch catchstitch flitch

All rhymes →

Cite this entry

APA

nouveau riche. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nouveau%20riche

MLA

“nouveau riche.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nouveau%20riche. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nouveau riche,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nouveau%20riche.

Source: nouveau riche on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.