Nouveau riche

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For the band "Nouveau Riche", see Nouveau Riche (band).

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Nouveau riche (French for "new rich"), or new money refers to persons who acquire wealth within their generation. It is generally used to emphasize that the persons were previously part of a lower economic or social class, and that the acquisition of wealth has provided the ability to do or to have things that were previously out of their reach.

The term can also be used in a derogatory fashion, for the purposes of social class distinction, to describe persons with newfound wealth and who are viewed as lacking the experience, finesse, or taste to use wealth in the same manner as old money - persons from families who have been wealthy for multiple generations. The implication is that, despite their wealth, they are still of lower- or middle-class origin, and therefore culturally inferior. A stereotypical example would be persons with new wealth who spend money conspicuously, aspire to the tastes of their betters, or fail to disguise lower class preference.

As nouveau riche is a foreign word in English, it is pluralized nouveaux riches, and should be italicized when appearing in print.

[edit] Fictional examples of nouveau riche

The main characters of "Entourage".
Montgomery Brewster from George Barr McCutcheon's Brewster's Millions
Rodney Dangerfield's character Al Czervik in Caddyshack
Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby
Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights
Jackie Mason's Jack Hartounian in Caddyshack II.
Steve Martin's title role as The Jerk.
Baron Danglars in The Count of Monte Cristo.
Arthur Birling in An Inspector Calls.
Kazuya Aoike in Boys Over Flowers.
Alan B'stard in The New Statesman
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Vandort family from Corpse Bride
Brett Messerschmidt from The It Girl

[edit] See also

Social stratification : Social class v • d • e
Bourgeoisie	Upper class	Ruling class	Nobility	White-collar
Petite bourgeoisie	Upper middle class	Creative class	Gentry	Blue-collar
Proletariat	Middle class	Working class	Nouveau riche/Parvenu	Pink-collar
Lumpenproletariat	Lower middle class	Lower class	Old Money	Gold-collar
Peasant/Serf	Slave class	Underclass		Classlessness
Social class in the United States
Upper class	Middle class	Lower class	Income	Educational attainment