upward mobility

noun

: the capacity or facility for rising to a higher social or economic position

upwardly mobile adjective

Examples of upward mobility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Lincoln penny was designed not just to pay its way but to remind us that a non-billionaire — born on the prairie, self-educated, and committed to the idea of upward mobility — once rose from a log cabin to the White House. —Harold Holzer, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2025

Meanwhile, the ladders in manufacturing that once provided workers without a college diploma a solid wage and upward mobility were kicked over. —Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 11 Feb. 2025

Only two offer realistic possibility of upward mobility — at Utah State on Feb. 22 and home against New Mexico three days later, two teams that beat them earlier this season. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025

With youth unemployment surging to record levels, young Chinese people face a bleak reality: advanced degrees and grueling work no longer guarantee stable employment or upward mobility. —Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for upward mobility

• acceptability
• accessibility
• adaptability
• admissibility
• advisability
• affordability
• allowability
• amenability
• amiability
• appealability
• applicability
• availability