Standard Lemma guide

upstart

adj · noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈʌp.stɑːt/
  • General-American: /ˈʌp.stɑɹt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH1 P S T AA2 R T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Acting like a parvenu.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Self-important and presumptuous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One who has suddenly gained wealth, power, or other prominence, but either has not received social acceptance or has become arrogant or presumptuous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The meadow saffron.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To rise suddenly, to spring

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a gymnastic exercise performed starting from a position with the legs over the upper body and moving to an erect position by arching the back and swinging the legs out and down while forcing the chest upright

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: kip

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gymnastic exercise

7

noun

Meaning 7

a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: parvenu, nouveau-riche, arriviste

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unpleasant person, disagreeable person

Narrower terms: social climber, climber, junior

8

noun

Meaning 8

an arrogant or presumptuous person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unpleasant person, disagreeable person

Narrower terms: wise guy, smart aleck, wiseacre, wisenheimer, weisenheimer

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

62 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: парвенюшки (parvenjuški) — self-important and presumptuous
  • Dutch: parvenuachtig — self-important and presumptuous
  • Finnish: nousukasmainen — self-important and presumptuous
  • German: Angeber — self-important and presumptuous
  • Italian: arricchito — self-important and presumptuous
  • Italian: parvenu — self-important and presumptuous
  • Polish: nuworyszowski — self-important and presumptuous
  • Polish: parweniuszowski — self-important and presumptuous
  • Polish: dorobkiewiczowski — self-important and presumptuous
  • Polish: karierowiczowski — self-important and presumptuous
  • Polish: nowobogacki — self-important and presumptuous
  • Spanish: advenedizo — self-important and presumptuous
  • Spanish: arribista — self-important and presumptuous
  • Swedish: uppkomling — self-important and presumptuous
  • Bulgarian: парвеню́ (parvenjú) — newly rich or prominent
  • Catalan: nou-ric — newly rich or prominent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 暴發戶 /暴发户 (bàofāhù) — newly rich or prominent
  • Czech: povýšenec — newly rich or prominent
  • Dutch: nieuwkomeling — newly rich or prominent
  • Dutch: parvenu — newly rich or prominent
  • Finnish: nousukas — newly rich or prominent
  • Finnish: uusrikas — newly rich or prominent
  • French: parvenu — newly rich or prominent
  • French: arriviste — newly rich or prominent
  • French: nouveau riche — newly rich or prominent
  • German: Emporkömmling — newly rich or prominent
  • German: Parvenü — newly rich or prominent
  • German: Neureicher — newly rich or prominent
  • Greek: αριβίστας (arivístas) — newly rich or prominent
  • Icelandic: uppskafningur — newly rich or prominent
  • Irish: sotaire — newly rich or prominent
  • Irish: sárachán — newly rich or prominent
  • Japanese: 成り金 (narikin) — newly rich or prominent
  • Japanese: 成り上がり者 (nariagari-mono) — newly rich or prominent
  • Japanese: 出来星 (dekiboshi) — newly rich or prominent
  • Latin: novus homo — newly rich or prominent
  • Māori: hoetere — newly rich or prominent
  • Norwegian: oppkomling — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: nuworysz — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: nuworyszka — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: parweniusz — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: parweniuszka — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: dorobkiewicz — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: karierowicz — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: karierowiczka — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: nowobogacki — newly rich or prominent
  • Polish: nowobogacka — newly rich or prominent
  • Portuguese: arrivista — newly rich or prominent
  • Portuguese: novo-rico — newly rich or prominent
  • Portuguese: emergente — newly rich or prominent
  • Russian: вы́скочка (výskočka) — newly rich or prominent
  • Russian: нувори́ш (nuvoríš) — newly rich or prominent
  • Russian: парвеню́ (parvenjú) — newly rich or prominent
  • Russian: из грязи в князи (iz grjazi v knjazi) — newly rich or prominent
  • Serbo-Croatian: skorojević — newly rich or prominent
  • Serbo-Croatian: skorojevićka — newly rich or prominent
  • Spanish: advenedizo — newly rich or prominent
  • Spanish: advenediza — newly rich or prominent
  • Spanish: arribista — newly rich or prominent
  • Spanish: nuevo rico — newly rich or prominent
  • Swedish: uppkomling — newly rich or prominent
  • Turkish: sonradan görme — newly rich or prominent