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

Derived Forms

• social climbing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of social climber

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

A hilarious entourage attempts to fend off Théodore Pellerin’s awkward social climber with the year’s most perilous, pitfall-laden dialogue.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

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

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

From Slate • May 4, 2023

This disconnect is represented most glaringly in Tom Wambsgans, a much-mocked social climber who married into the family, and effectively, the family business.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2022

Or was she an overly forward social climber?

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock