0 the act of trying to improve your social position by being very friendly to people from a higher social class:
Beth was stung by criticism that the couple had engaged in opportunistic social climbing.
They annoyed some people with their posh voices and eccentric manners, behaviour some mistook for social climbing.
After all, if you have ambitions of your son becoming prime minister, you have to be prepared to do a spot of social climbing in order to help him achieve your dream.
Her penchant for aggressive social climbing was exposed, with her obsession for sending excessive gifts to the great and the good whom she claimed were her close personal friends.
