Yuppie

/ˈjʌpi/ noun

Definition

A young urban professional, especially one who is ambitious, materialistic, and upwardly mobile.

Etymology

Acronym from 'Young Urban Professional' or 'Young Upwardly-mobile Professional', popularized in the 1980s. The term captured the zeitgeist of Reagan-era economic optimism and urban gentrification.

Kelly Says

The term 'yuppie' was both aspirational and pejorative - young professionals wanted the lifestyle but resented being labeled as materialistic. The 1987 stock market crash largely ended the classic yuppie era, but the basic concept resurfaces with each generation of ambitious urban workers, just with different names like 'hipster' or 'tech bro.'

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