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upward mobility

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noun
  1. See under vertical mobility(def 1).
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Origin of upward mobility

First recorded in 1945–50
Related formsupwardly mobile, adjective

vertical mobility

noun Sociology.
  1. movement from one social level to a higher one (upward mobility) or a lower one (downward mobility), as by changing jobs or marrying.
  2. cultural diffusion from one social level to another, as the adoption by one economic class of the fashions current or formerly current in a higher class.
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Compare horizontal mobility.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

advancement
British Dictionary definitions for upward mobility

upward mobility

noun
  1. sociol the movement of an individual, social group, or class to a position of increased status or powerCompare downward mobility See also horizontal mobility, vertical mobility
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vertical mobility

noun
  1. sociol the movement of individuals or groups to positions in society that involve a change in class, status, and powerCompare horizontal mobility See also upward mobility, downward mobility
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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
upward mobility in Culture

upward mobility

Rising from a lower to a higher social class or status. (See also social mobility.)

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.