yuppie
yuppie
UK[ˈjʌp.i]US[ˈjʌp.i]
n
a young, well-paid, middle-class professional who works in a city, especially one who has a luxurious lifestyle and is interested in fashionable things.
Etymology
the term 'yuppie' is an acronym originating in the united states during the early 1980s. it stands for "young urban professional" or sometimes "young upwardly-mobile professional," with the '-ie' suffix added to create a familiar, often slightly mocking nickname, similar to 'hippie' or 'yuppie.' the word encapsulates a specific socio-economic stereotype of the era: a young, college-educated adult with a well-paying city job, materialistic aspirations, and a taste for conspicuous consumption. its creation reflects a cultural trend of labeling demographic groups through playful, media-friendly portmanteaus.
Analysis
this word is a modern acronym-based formation and is not productively segmented into classical morphemes. it is treated as a simplex lexical unit.
Examples
the downtown area is filled with expensive wine bars catering to yuppies.
in the 1980s, the archetypal yuppie drove a bmw and carried a filofax.
some argue that the modern tech worker in san francisco is the new generation of yuppie.