Meaning & use
yuppies
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“yuppies” is a form of “yuppie”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralinformaldisapproving
Plural of yuppie: young city professionals with well-paid jobs who are seen as keen on money, fashion and a stylish lifestyle.
Grammar: Plural countable noun: yuppies moved into the old warehouses.
Patterns
- young urban yuppies
Yuppies moved into the old docklands and pushed rents up.
The film mocks the yuppies of the 1980s and their expensive habits.
Local shops changed once the yuppies arrived in the neighborhood.
Word forms
| singular | yuppie |
|---|
Common combinations
- young yuppies
- Young yuppies filled the new wine bars.
- city yuppies
- City yuppies were blamed for rising house prices.
- wealthy yuppies
- Wealthy yuppies bought the renovated lofts.
- yuppie lifestyle
- He gave up the yuppie lifestyle for a quiet farm.
Synonyms and how they differ
- young professionals
- Young professionals is neutral, while yuppies adds a mocking hint of materialism.
- hipsters
- Hipsters are linked with alternative fashion and culture, not with corporate careers.
- power brokers
- Power brokers are influential at any age, and the term does not imply youth or lifestyle.
Opposites
Word family
- yuppie noun
- one young urban professional
- yuppify verb
- to make an area suit yuppies, often by raising prices
- yuppification noun
- the process of an area becoming trendy and expensive
- yuppiedom noun
- the world or class of yuppies
Commonly confused: yuppies or puppies?
yuppies vs puppies
Puppies are young dogs; yuppies are young professionals. They only look and sound alike.
Practice
In the 1980s, the term ______ was used for ambitious young city workers with high salaries and designer clothes.
Choose one answer.
Yuppies matches the description. Hippies and punks are countercultural groups, and preppies are linked with prep-school style, not the corporate job.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “yuppies”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.