Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Late 20th century ·1980
Yuppie
young urban professional
- Meaning
- A young, affluent, status-conscious urban professional of the 1980s.
- Source words
- young urban + professional
- Coined by
- Joseph Epstein (disputed)
- Year
- 1980
Background
First recorded in American press c. 1980, but the word truly broke out with Newsweek's 1984 "Year of the Yuppie" cover. Strictly an acronym rather than pure portmanteau, but the word is treated as a blend in most lexicography.
Late 20th century
Marketing, media, and the early internet. Infomercial, emoticon, workaholic — the coinages name phenomena of mass media and white-collar life. Several predate the decades they're associated with.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.