social climber

American  

noun

1. a person who attempts to gain admission into a group with a higher social standing.

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social climber British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: climber.  a person who seeks advancement to a higher social class, esp by obsequious behaviour

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Other Word Forms

• social climbing noun

Etymology

Origin of social climber

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

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

In “Palm Royale,” which premiered on March 20, Wiig stars as Maxine, a frenzied social climber in 1960s Palm Beach.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2024

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

From Slate • May 4, 2023

I knew Kushner as an Olympic-level social climber, and he lards his memoir with famous names, however distant the acquaintance: Bono, Billy Joel, Kim Kardashian.

From Washington Post • Aug. 26, 2022

Or was she an overly forward social climber?

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock