yuppie
Americannoun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of yuppie
First recorded in 1980–85, y(oung) u(rban) p(rofessional) + -ie
Explanation
If your brother calls you a yuppie, it's not a compliment, but it does mean that he sees you as a well-paid, professional adult. In the mid-1980's, people started using the derogatory term yuppie to talk about a particular group of middle-class, well-educated workers. Yuppies are distinguished by their disposable income and the things on which they choose to spend it, like clothes, food, and cars. Yuppie is a shortened form of "young urban professional," and its popularity won out over other acronyms of the time, "yumpie," for "young upwardly mobile professional, and "yap," for "young aspiring professional."
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:
When she begins dating the owner of a local pet shop, Iona immediately falls in step with her yuppie new beau.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
He said only a yuppie — “you know, those people who work in a bank during the day and only go to concerts at night” — would think he wasn’t.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025
Mr. Pita, fluent in English and backed by strong support from younger Thais, appears in public as a jovial yuppie brimming with bright ideas, confident that he can overcome the constitutional hurdles in his path.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
And I don’t know why it was viewed as a yuppie vaccine or why Lyme disease would be viewed as a yuppie disease.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2022
Don’t let the cockatiel throw you off; this is no yuppie ambience.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
“The yuppies might like it, but we’re all set on bike lanes,” Mr. Napolitano said.
From New York Times ● May 21, 2023
Judge came up with the original concept at a time when TV was filled with yuppies — “The Cosby Show,” “Family Ties,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Mad About You.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
DiDi, serving as Greek chorus and comic relief, pulls Ms. Noomin directly into the story, saying: “Are you gonna let some cartoon yuppies cry cartoon tears over your lost babies?”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2022
A close-knit group of Black yuppies chill at their favorite wine bar in the new L.A.-set sitcom “Grand Crew.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2021
“Far as I can tell,” Tee said, “hipsters are basically yuppies with tighter pants and bigger glasses. Whatever they are, they make a mean mochaccino.”
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
