Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

One-upmanship

//(ˌ)wʌnˈʌpmənʃɪp// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor.

    "They are focused on one-upmanship, which is the essence of a competitive spirit."

  2. 2
    the practice of keeping one jump ahead of a friend or competitor wordnet
  3. 3
    A succession of instances of outdoing a competitor.

    "I think all readers will be impressed by the manner in which Marwick places his own analysis in relation to previous studies both of sorcery and of conflict in general. His punctiliousness here contrasts sharply with the practice of some anthropologists who, in a contest of one-upmanship, score points either by ignoring earlier work or even by baldly asserting that it was all wrong."

Etymology

From one-up + -manship, probably modelled after gamesmanship.

See also for "one-upmanship"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: oneupmanship