careerist

/kəˈɹɪɹɪst/

//kəˈɹɪɹɪst// noun

"careerist" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“careerist” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who pursues the advancement of their career at the expense of other values.

Corpus desk

Index EN-careerist · careerist · English

careerist · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for careerist
PropertyValue
Headwordcareerist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈɹɪɹɪst/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “careerist” in English

careeristfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

careerist is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kəˈɹɪɹɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for careerist in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From career + -ist. The correct English form is careerist, spelled C-A-R-E-E-R-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who pursues the advancement of their career at the expense of other values.
  2. 2
    A person who takes a job, especially in the military, for a long time rather than temporarily.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how careerist appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A careerist is a square-filler, a time-server. His talents and imagination have been circumscribed to perform managerial duties.
  2. Liu Hsin's famous jibe seems to have been directed not against Yang Hsiung but against the intellectual limitations of contemporary careerists. […] Yang's writings and personal character did not appeal to the careerists of his time

Etymology

From career + -ist.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "careerist"?
"careerist" is spelled C-A-R-E-E-R-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈɹɪɹɪst/.
What does "careerist" mean?
As a noun, "careerist" means: A person who pursues the advancement of their career at the expense of other values.
How do you pronounce "careerist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "careerist" is /kəˈɹɪɹɪst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "careerist"?
From career + -ist. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list