Dictionary

upstart en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈʌp.stɑɹt/ (General-American)
• /ˈʌp.stɑːt/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English upstarten, upsterten, equivalent to up- + start.

Meanings

1. Acting like a parvenu.
2. Self-important and presumptuous.

Forms

Deriveds

upstartness · upstartism · upstartish

Translations (14)

de Angeber (self-important and presumptuous) · pl dorobkiewiczowski (self-important and presumptuous) · es arribista (self-important and presumptuous) · es advenedizo (self-important and presumptuous) · nl parvenuachtig (self-important and presumptuous) · it arricchito (self-important and presumptuous) · pl nuworyszowski (self-important and presumptuous) · sv uppkomling (self-important and presumptuous) · pl karierowiczowski (self-important and presumptuous) · it parvenu (self-important and presumptuous) · pl parweniuszowski (self-important and presumptuous) · pl nowobogacki (self-important and presumptuous) · bg парвенюшки (self-important and presumptuous) · fi nousukasmainen (self-important and presumptuous)

upstart en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈʌp.stɑɹt/ (General-American)
• /ˈʌp.stɑːt/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English upstarten, upsterten, equivalent to up- + start.

Meanings

1. One who has suddenly gained wealth, power, or other prominence, but either has not received social acceptance or has become arrogant or presumptuous.
   • Where the Czech upstart [Lukáš] Rosol, ranked 100 in the world, all but blew [Rafael] Nadal's head off with his blunderbuss in a fifth set of unrivalled intensity on Thursday night, [Julien] Benneteau, a more artful citizen, used a rapier to hurt his vaunted foe before falling just short of a kill. In the end, it was he who staggered from the scene of the fight. 2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 15 Nov 2016:
   • upstarts […]they call in reproach mushrooms 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “VI. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
   • [S]he has no fair pretence of family or blood. She was nobody when he married her, barely the daughter of a gentleman; but ever since her being turned into a Churchill she has out-Churchill’d them all in high and mighty claims: but in herself, I assure you, she is an upstart.” 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter XVIII, in Emma: […], volume II, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, page 345:
   • But electric vehicles and the batteries that made them run became ensnared in corporate scandals, fraud, and monopolistic corruption that shook the confidence of the nation and inspired automotive upstarts. 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion:
2. The meadow saffron.

Forms

Synonyms

arriviste · nouveau riche · parvenu

Translations (48)

pl karierowiczka (newly rich or prominent) · es advenedizo (newly rich or prominent) · pt emergente (newly rich or prominent) · ja 成り金 (newly rich or prominent) · pl dorobkiewicz (newly rich or prominent) · nl nieuwkomeling (newly rich or prominent) · pl parweniuszka (newly rich or prominent) · pt arrivista (newly rich or prominent) · cmn 暴發戶 /暴发户 (newly rich or prominent) · de Emporkömmling (newly rich or prominent) · ru парвеню́ (newly rich or prominent) · fr parvenu (newly rich or prominent) · ru из грязи в князи (newly rich or prominent) · pl nowobogacki (newly rich or prominent) · pl parweniusz (newly rich or prominent) · de Neureicher (newly rich or prominent) · fi uusrikas (newly rich or prominent) · ca nou-ric (newly rich or prominent) · tr sonradan görme (newly rich or prominent) · fr arriviste (newly rich or prominent) · el αριβίστας (newly rich or prominent) · pl karierowicz (newly rich or prominent) · de Parvenü (newly rich or prominent) · cs povýšenec (newly rich or prominent) · es advenediza (newly rich or prominent) · la novus homo (newly rich or prominent) · no oppkomling (newly rich or prominent) · es arribista (newly rich or prominent) · pt novo-rico (newly rich or prominent) · ga sotaire (newly rich or prominent) · ru нувори́ш (newly rich or prominent) · pl nuworysz (newly rich or prominent) · sv uppkomling (newly rich or prominent) · ja 成り上がり者 (newly rich or prominent) · ru вы́скочка (newly rich or prominent) · ja 出来星 (newly rich or prominent) · pl nuworyszka (newly rich or prominent) · bg парвеню́ (newly rich or prominent) · fi nousukas (newly rich or prominent) · pl nowobogacka (newly rich or prominent) · nl parvenu (newly rich or prominent) · sh skorojevićka (newly rich or prominent) · fr nouveau riche (newly rich or prominent) · es nuevo rico (newly rich or prominent) · sh skorojević (newly rich or prominent) · ga sárachán (newly rich or prominent) · mi hoetere (newly rich or prominent) · is uppskafningur (newly rich or prominent)

upstart en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈʌp.stɑɹt/ (General-American)
• /ˈʌp.stɑːt/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English upstarten, upsterten, equivalent to up- + start.

Meanings

1. To rise suddenly, to spring
   • "Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting— 1845 February, — Quarles [pseudonym; Edgar Allan Poe], “The Raven”, in The American Review, volume I, number II, New York, N.Y.; London: Wiley & Putnam, […], →OCLC:
   • the beauteous beast Scared by the noise upstarted at our feet 1859, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page)”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC:
   • Th' Elfe therewith astownd, Upstarted lightly from his looser make, And his unready weapons gan in hand to take. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

Forms