nouveau

American  

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

adjective

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

   The sudden success of the firm created several nouveau millionaires.

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nouveau British  

/ ˈnuːvəʊ /

adjective

1. facetious (prenominal) having recently become the thing specified

   a nouveau hippy

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Etymology

Origin of nouveau

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

Example Sentences

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

After fully renovating their apartment in a 1904 art nouveau building that’s a short walk from the Duomo cathedral, they now split their time between Beverly Hills and Milan, with plenty of travel in between.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 4, 2025

And Safdie is so devoted to duplicating the earthy brown decor of Kerr’s late-’90s nouveau riche Phoenix home that you’d think he was restoring Notre Dame.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 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

Forgetting that he’d ever been way behind the fashion curve, he was appalled, in some priggish, nouveau riche kind of way, that certain passengers appeared in the dining room in slacks and sneakers.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady