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

Ahmed: It wasn’t that careerist and calculating, to be honest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

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

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

I am not a careerist; I have no such aspirations.

From Salon ● May 9, 2023

Therewith developed in place of the previous quietist pacifist, quaker attitude toward its surroundings, a new religion, a new tone: aggressive, predatory, careerist.

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

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