social climber

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A hilarious entourage attempts to fend off Théodore Pellerin’s awkward social climber with the year’s most perilous, pitfall-laden dialogue.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

Mr. Restall’s Columbus was a man on the make, a social climber who used his marriage in 1479 to Felipa Moniz, the daughter of a minor aristocrat, to further his standing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

He is a vain social climber, easily fooled by his clever, beautiful young wife.

From Slate • May 4, 2023

Coon plays Bertha Russell, a relentless and monomaniacal social climber who, a century later, could have been an especially coldblooded CEO of a Fortune 500 firm.

From Washington Post • Jan. 23, 2022

Or was she an overly forward social climber?

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock