Horatio Alger

American  

adjective

1. of or characteristic of the heroes in the novels of Horatio Alger, who begin life in poverty and achieve success and wealth through honesty, hard work, and virtuous behavior.

   the Horatio Alger story of his rise in the business world.

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Alger, Horatio, Jr. Cultural  

1. A nineteenth-century American author known for his many books in which poor boys become rich through their earnest attitudes and hard work.

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A true story of spectacular worldly success achieved by someone who started near the bottom is often called a “Horatio Alger story.”

Etymology

Origin of Horatio Alger

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Starting in 1886, a series of games derived from the Horatio Alger books—with titles like From Log Cabin to the White House—caught the public’s fancy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Curricula used to include stories like those by Horatio Alger about people pulling themselves up from poverty.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It was extraordinary to watch his inner strength,” Sokol said of his son in the Horatio Alger biography.

From The Wall Street Journal

He got to know Abel better through their shared involvement in the nonprofit Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the early 20th century’s Gilded Age, the best-selling books weren’t the ones we consider classics, but Horatio Alger’s inspirational pulp.

From Salon