nouveau

American

[noo-voh, noo-voh] / ˈnu voʊ, nuˈvoʊ /

adjective

newly or recently created, developed, or come to prominence.

The sudden success of the firm created several nouveau millionaires.

nouveau British

/ ˈnuːvəʊ /

adjective

facetious (prenominal) having recently become the thing specified

a nouveau hippy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nouveau

1805–15; < French: new; Old French novel < Latin novellus; see novel ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

nouveau

She interviewed 20- and 30-somethings about their financial woes, classifying them as the nouveau pauvre, or, as a well-known economist put it, “well-dressed paupers.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Unfortunately, Tony Dokoupil, the newly installed anchor of CBS Evening News and the face of the company’s nouveau regime-friendly rebrand, was not so lucky.

From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2026

It might have been be tacky, but the republic can withstand some nouveau riche architecture on federal property.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025

Thirty years later, India's flourishing tech-driven economy of start-ups and creators has birthed a nouveau riche that's afforded Soho House exactly another such market opportunity.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025

I am filled with the gaudy delight, the monstrous grace of the nouveau riche.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023