social climber
noun
: one who attempts to gain a higher social position or acceptance in fashionable society
social climbing
noun
Examples of social climber in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the mid aughts, the British tabloids frequently painted the Middletons as advantageous social climbers.
—
Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2023
So The Crown posits that the relationship was orchestrated by Kate’s mother Carole (Eve Best), a social climber who spent years scheming to throw her daughter in the prince’s path.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2023
The papers also painted Carole as an advantageous social climber.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2023
The news that Sofia Coppola was adapting Wharton’s 1913 portrait of a social climber, The Custom of the Country, for Apple TV+ was thrilling, until the project was abandoned.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2023
The 2018 show is based on the 1848 novel of the same name and follows Becky Sharp (Cooke), a clever social climber with a knack for charming men.
—Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Although Perón, who died in 1952 at age 33, is typically depicted onstage as a social climber who sleeps her way to the top of Juan Perón’s regime, Cannold has posed a more feminist interpretation.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023
No, this social climber climbed right off the battlefield, hosed off, changed into civvies, and rolled onto Rodeo Drive.
—Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2023
In New York, the Democratic mayoral primary winner, Eric Adams, the one candidate who spoke to every New Yorker’s desire for effective policing, was almost undone under ranked choice by multiple flavors of progressive social climber outbidding each other in wokeness.
—WSJ, 16 July 2021
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Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2023
So The Crown posits that the relationship was orchestrated by Kate’s mother Carole (Eve Best), a social climber who spent years scheming to throw her daughter in the prince’s path.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2023
The papers also painted Carole as an advantageous social climber.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2023
The news that Sofia Coppola was adapting Wharton’s 1913 portrait of a social climber, The Custom of the Country, for Apple TV+ was thrilling, until the project was abandoned.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2023
The 2018 show is based on the 1848 novel of the same name and follows Becky Sharp (Cooke), a clever social climber with a knack for charming men.
—Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Although Perón, who died in 1952 at age 33, is typically depicted onstage as a social climber who sleeps her way to the top of Juan Perón’s regime, Cannold has posed a more feminist interpretation.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023
No, this social climber climbed right off the battlefield, hosed off, changed into civvies, and rolled onto Rodeo Drive.
—Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2023
In New York, the Democratic mayoral primary winner, Eric Adams, the one candidate who spoke to every New Yorker’s desire for effective policing, was almost undone under ranked choice by multiple flavors of progressive social climber outbidding each other in wokeness.
—WSJ, 16 July 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'social climber.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1894, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near social climber
Cite this Entry
“Social climber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20climber. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
social climber
noun
: one who attempts to gain a higher social position or be accepted in fashionable society
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