as in elitist
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Recent Examples of social climber
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
Turning Merchant Ivory into eminent Victorians rather than complexly conflicted social climbers actually distances them from us, and that’s merely for Millennial convenience.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Sep. 2024
The sprawling period drama chronicles the great conflict between old money elites and new money social climbers in New York's glittering Gilded Age.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for social climber
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
Turning Merchant Ivory into eminent Victorians rather than complexly conflicted social climbers actually distances them from us, and that’s merely for Millennial convenience.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Sep. 2024
The sprawling period drama chronicles the great conflict between old money elites and new money social climbers in New York's glittering Gilded Age.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for social climber
Recent Examples of Synonyms for social climber
elitist
Noun
-
And without defenders, enemies redefined liberals, first as out-of-touch elitists, then as allies of corporations ignoring the demands of working people, and eventually, today, as woke snowflakes.—
Kevin M. Schultz,
The Conversation,
8 May 2025
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An entire industry that’s devoted to convincing white people that liberal elitists look down on them.—
Rebecca Solnit
November 19,
Literary Hub,
19 Nov. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Social climber.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/social%20climber. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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