upstart
UK /ˈʌp.stɑːt/ · US /ˈʌp.stɑɹt/ noun, adjective, verb
Forms upstarts upstarting upstarted
- noun One who has suddenly gained wealth, power, or other prominence, but either has not received social acceptance or has become arrogant or presumptuous.
- noun (botany) The meadow saffron.
- adjective Acting like a parvenu.
- adjective Self-important and presumptuous.
- verb To rise suddenly, to spring
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English upstarten, upsterten, equivalent to up- + start.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “upstart”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details