Skip to main content
careerist

careerist

3 6.3
A person who tries to get ahead at work even if not honest or fair
  • noun
  • /kəˈrɪrɪst/
  • Offensive
translation icon : trepador
  • She's a careerist.

And I think it's OK for somebody to say of themself, look, I'm not a careerist.

Examples

  • Speer was a careerist with no calling.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Still just for fun, not with any careerist ambition.

  • But power in China is still firmly in the hands of careerists.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Women there are overwhelmed, filling both roles of traditional caretaker and high-powered careerist.

    Blog text (24)
  • There were true believers, opportunists, and careerists.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Many politicians are often seen as careerists who prioritize their ambitions over public service.

  • The corporate environment can be tough for those who are not careerists, as others pursue promotions at any cost.

  • As a careerist, she made decisions that benefited her advancement rather than the team's ethics.

Synonyms

career woman
vscareerist
9 3.5

A woman who focuses mainly on her job, often putting work before family

places self advancement at work even when ethics are not considered
mercenary
vscareerist
4 7.3

Doing things mainly for money rather than for belief or loyalty

focuses on personal professional advancement even if it disregards ethics
career girl
vscareerist
  • Archaic
3 3.8

A woman who makes her work her main goal instead of family life

aims to advance personally in work even if moral limits are crossed
career man
vscareerist
1 3.8

A man who focuses mainly on his job and moving up at work

prioritizes advancing their own position even if it ignores ethics

Antonyms

18 7.9

A person who studies right and wrong and gives advice about moral choices

3 6.7

A person who cares about others and helps them without expecting anything back

Compounds

A way of thinking that focuses on getting ahead at work even if it hurts others

How Career-Focused

self-seeker
  • Offensive
7.7
careerist
  • Offensive
3 6.3
opportunist
27 5.9
career man
1 3.8
ambitious
128 3.7

Surface Forms

careerist singular
careerists plural

Morphology

careerist = career (transparent) = career + ist

Formed by the noun 'career' + the agentive suffix '-ist'; meaning is directly a person concerned with career advancement.

Etymology

Careerist comes from the word career plus the ending -ist. The career part once meant a 'race' or a 'course', so imagine someone racing forward, and -ist means a 'person who does something', as in artist. So a careerist is someone who pushes ahead in their job like a racer, often putting their own success first.