upward mobility

NOUN

climbing in status

Synonyms

WEAK

advancement climbing the corporate ladder social climbing social mobility status seeking vertical mobility

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.

For many young Indians, higher education is no guarantee of upward mobility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Spaeny and Melton were cast as Ashley and Austin, a Gen-Z couple working at a Montecito country club, dreaming and scheming toward upward mobility, a good 18 months before filming began in early 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

The good news is the schools doing the most for upward mobility aren’t the ones closing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

I am very good at what I do, but there is limited upward mobility for this position.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

Which brings me to the second part of our upward mobility.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides