Nouveau - New SAT Vocabulary to Learn
Jay Gatsby was nouveau riche; what's so bad about that, anyway?
Of course, nouveau is simply a French word that means new.
Because French adjectives change based on gender and number, you’ll see a few variations of this word — but the most common place it shows up in English is in the phrase nouveau riche, and in other collocations such as art nouveau.
You might recognize that phrase from literature. For example, Jay Gatsby, the protagonist of The Great Gatsby, is often described as nouveau riche.
Let’s break this down:
nouveau = new
riche = rich
So together, it literally means newly rich.
Interestingly, in some social circles, people who are nouveau riche are often seen as having less prestige than those who come from so-called old money.
And if you happen to know other Romance languages, this word may already feel familiar. In Spanish, it’s similar to nuevo, and in Italian, it’s close to nuovo. And shout-out of course to the Portuguese novo.
📚️ Definition of Nouveau
Nouveau (adjective): New, modern, or recently created; often used to describe someone who has recently acquired wealth, status, or position. Example: the nouveau elite of Silicon Valley.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Nouveau
IPA: /nuːˈvoʊ/ (See IPA key)
Respelling: noo-VOE
📰 Examples of Nouveau
Here are some examples of the word nouveau:
The restaurant’s nouveau cuisine emphasized locally-sourced ingredients and creative presentation.
The nouveau riche tech founders bought several plots of land in some historic neighborhoods.
The Art Nouveau movement challenged the traditional distinction between fine arts and industrial arts.
