social climber
4
5.4
- noun
- /ˈsoʊʃəl ˈklaɪmɚ/
- Offensive
:
arribista
- Many people find social climbers insincere, as they often change their behaviors to fit into higher social circles.
Narcissistic people are social climbers, lain and simple.
- Narcissistic people are social climbers, lain and simple.
Examples
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Narcissistic people are social climbers, plain and simple.
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It's gonna be a bunch of social climbers, all packed into one of those big glass houses.
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I had thought her a mere social climber.
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Mostly, these folks are shallow social climbers, and who needs them anyway?
Blog text (34) -
Both of them are trashy social climbers and seem to be always aiming for things and people that are above them.
Blog text (31) -
She is a social climber and trash.
Blog text (23) -
The new family then moved to Vienna, where Jozsi's mother became a dedicated social climber, mixing with the aristocratic society of this glittering capital of the dual monarchy.
Academic text (1991) -
An immigrant social climber on his way up, he aggressively uses his wit and daring to achieve his ends and becomes, at the play's end, a petty bourgeois partner in power.
Academic text (1995) -
Evelyn always attends high-profile events because she is a social climber trying to network with influential people.
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As a social climber, Jake frequently befriends wealthy individuals to enhance his own status in the community.
Synonyms
8
7.0
A person who tries to move up by getting close to powerful people
5
7.7
A person who praises someone in power to get an advantage
How Ambitious
27
5.9
- Offensive
4
5.4
3
3.7
- US
1
3.8
84
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is compositionally derived from 'social' (relating to society/status) + 'climber' (one who climbs), so a learner can infer someone who 'climbs' the social ranks. However, the sense relies on a metaphorical extension of 'climb' (climbing a social ladder) rather than a literal action, so understanding is somewhat inferential rather than fully literal.
Etymology
Social climber comes from the picture of a climber going up a ladder to reach higher social levels, like someone climbing to the top of a group. So it means a person who tries to 'gain a higher social status' by making friends with richer or more powerful people.