Looking for a word to describe a person who is rich in wealth, but is poor in class.
I’ve heard of words to describe poor people who have no class or manners, words to describe rich people who have class and manners, but I’ve not heard of a word to describe people who are rich in terms of wealth but lack manners and class.
Is there a specific word for that? I’m looking to describe a few men in politics who clearly best exemplify this but I don’t have a word to describe them besides “poor in class but filthy rich”
Is there a specific word for that?
Yes, yes there is.
vulgarian
a vulgar person, especially one whose vulgarity is the more conspicuous because of wealth, prominence, or pretensions to good breeding.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/vulgarian
nouveau riche (this means someone who recently became rich and thus lacking in taste)
a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class
From M-W:
a person who has recently begun an activity, become successful, etc., and who does not show proper respect for older and more experienced people.
and Parvenu
a person from usually a low social position who has recently or suddenly become wealthy, powerful, or successful but who is not accepted by other wealthy, powerful, and successful people.
While someone mentioned “Nouveau riche”, I’ve literally never heard that used in conversation and would have to look it up to understand its meaning. I think the phase you’re really looking for that is commonly used is new money*, which sounds like it’s talking about the wealth itself but actually refers to the person:
…refers to the man or woman who previously had belonged to a lower social class and economic stratum (rank) within that class; and that the new money—which constitutes his or her wealth—allowed upward social mobility and provided the means for conspicuous consumption
*which shares the same Wikipedia article with the French term
In Australia, the trendy buzzword term is “Cashed-up Bogan”.
From Wiktionary cashed-up bogan:
- (Australia) A person who is, or is perceived to be, unsophisticated or of a lower class background but achieving a high salary, who spends money on flashy or trashy items to fulfil their aspirations of higher social status. The stereotype includes having speech and mannerisms that are considered to denote poor education and uncultured upbringing, which is reflected in their bad taste possessions and lifestyles.
From Collins English Dictionary cashed up
- (Austral, informal) having plenty of money
Related news at Dailymail.
I think we call them Yuppies (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yuppie). That’s the closest I know, but that’s generally specific to college-age people (whether new to money or inherited it).
Bourgeois
A rich but not a Noble person.
but it’s also a synonyme of middle-class. people very focussed on possessions and behaving like the rich people. Can be pejorative
Consider, new-rich and nouveau arrive/arrivé
nouveau arrivé
: a person who has recently acquired fame, power, social standing, etc.
World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions: A Resource for Readers and Writers
Yuppies are widely regarded as lacking in class. They typically aren’t connected to the community and are stereotyped as nerdy and self-centered.
Of course, the word yuppie is a little restricted in meaning, but it might be a useful synonym for whatever word you choose.
Edit: Wow, I don’t know how I missed Dark Word Dan’s answer below mine…yuppie. I voted his answer up. I guess you can just ignore mine. 😉
Parvenu is a word of French origin to describe someone low-born who now has money but not the manners usually associated with wealth.
You could used the Chinese word for ‘uncouth rich people’ – tuhao.
The “China has a word for its crass new rich” article on CNBC has more explanation of the nuances. For example:
Covering the inside of your Rolls-Royce with jade is tuhao. Or, the most popular use, the new gold iPhone 5s is now known in China as the “tuhao gold iPhone.”
In 2013, Oxford Dictionaries was considering adding it, so it’s not incredibly rare or archaic, but it seems that its influence may have waned with the recent global economic troubles.
While not necessarily denoting financial comfort, you could use the term philistine to describe someone who lacks appreciation of artistic or cultural values:
noun 1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, aesthetic refinement, etc., or is contentedly commonplace in ideas and tastes.
adjective 3. (sometimes initial capital letter) lacking in or hostile to culture. 4. smugly commonplace or conventional.
Some of the synonyms listed include the already mentioned vulgarian.
From dictionary.com.
Fur coat and no knickers a British expression for someone rich and vulgar
I’m kind of surprised that The Beverly Hillbillies hasn’t been mentioned yet. It comes from an American Sitcom that describes the situation OP asked for almost perfectly. Using it to describe a person or group of people like the OP described is not uncommon.
The phrase white trash could possibly fit your answer – it also applies to lottery winners on welfare.
Related
Word to describe person who is rich in wealth, but is poor in class? – english.stackexchange.com #JHedzWorlD
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