careerist

American

[kuh-reer-ist] / kəˈrɪər ɪst /

noun

a person who follows a career.
a person who pursues a policy or attitude of careerism.

careerist British

/ kəˈrɪərɪst /

noun

a person who values success in his career above all else and seeks to advance it by any possible means

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

careerism

noun

Etymology

Origin of careerist

First recorded in 1905–10; career + -ist

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.

See Examples For:

careerist

It also has some surprisingly effective dramatic moments, such as when she confesses to being such a careerist that she missed her kids’ childhoods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

I think of her not as a careerist, but a Canadian.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

When asked whether his defection was motivated by an opportunity to become MP for Gravesham again, Mr Holloway insisted he was not a "careerist".

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2025

America’s favorite singleton hadn’t been single since high school — and its favorite plucky careerist had, in truth, lost jobs for being pregnant or requesting a raise.

From New York Times ● May 25, 2023

To consider the life of the careerist as an expression of instinct will explain too the success of so many who have no inner awareness of what they want.

From The Glands Regulating Personality by Louis Berman M.D.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023