one-upmanship
[ wuhn-uhp-muh n-ship ]
/ ˈwʌnˈʌp mənˌʃɪp /
noun
the art or practice of achieving, demonstrating, or assuming superiority in one's rivalry with a friend or opponent by obtaining privilege, status, status symbols, etc.: the one-upmanship of getting into the president's car pool.
Also
one-ups·man·ship
[wuhn-uhps-muh n-ship] /ˈwʌnˈʌps mənˌʃɪp/.
Also called
upmanship,
upsmanship.
Words nearby one-upmanship
one-track,
one-track mind,
one-trick pony,
one-two,
one-up,
one-upmanship,
one-way,
one-way mirror,
one-way ticket,
one-woman,
one-worlder
Example sentences from the Web for one-upmanship
Too often we focus on one-upmanship and demonization of those whose points of view are different from our own.
Roland Martin Made Mistakes in Tweets Deemed Antigay but Is No Homophobe |Phill Wilson |February 16, 2012 |DAILY BEASTThe gesture strikes me as hostile, and vaguely chauvinistic; how pathetic, I think, that his impulse is one-upmanship.
A call girl's idea of one-upmanship—which is far more beneficial to the men she sees—is being more discreet than the next girl.
British Dictionary definitions for one-upmanship
one-upmanship
/ (wʌnˈʌpmənʃɪp) /
noun
informal
the art or practice of achieving or maintaining an advantage over others, often by slightly unscrupulous means