1. A person who has recently attained high position or great power but not general acceptance or respect; an upstart.
2. A social climber; a bounder.

[French, from arriver, to arrive, from Old French ariver. See arrive.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.