as in elitist
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Recent Examples of social climber
There actually is something at stake for these women, which frees them up for a desperate kind of humor, in the vein of those plucky social climbers in a screwball comedy from an earlier era.
—
Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 1 May 2025
From the dynastic Dupree family to the conniving social climbers bent on usurping their place at the top of the social hierarchy, the historic new daytime drama is all about its characters.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Where Huang’s wardrobe for Oz emphasizes his position as a clumsy social climber, aspiring to classic mafia masculinity but too crass to fit in with the old-money elite, Sofia represents a different kind of outsider.
—Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Smith starred as Joyce Chilvers, a small-town social climber in postwar Northern England whose hunger to be accepted by the elite locals isn’t helped by her dotty mother nor her underachieving podiatrist husband Gilbert, played by Michael Palin.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for social climber
Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 1 May 2025
From the dynastic Dupree family to the conniving social climbers bent on usurping their place at the top of the social hierarchy, the historic new daytime drama is all about its characters.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Where Huang’s wardrobe for Oz emphasizes his position as a clumsy social climber, aspiring to classic mafia masculinity but too crass to fit in with the old-money elite, Sofia represents a different kind of outsider.
—Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Smith starred as Joyce Chilvers, a small-town social climber in postwar Northern England whose hunger to be accepted by the elite locals isn’t helped by her dotty mother nor her underachieving podiatrist husband Gilbert, played by Michael Palin.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for social climber
Recent Examples of Synonyms for social climber
elitist
Noun
-
The private remark reinforced a sense, even among conservatives, that the wealthy businessman was an out-of-touch elitist who was ready to write-off about half the country as indifferent to his economic agenda.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
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In a Fox News interview, Carr portrayed Kimmel as an elitist and his own interests as those of the community.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Social climber.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/social%20climber. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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