one-upmanship

[ wuhn-uhp-muhn-ship ]

noun

1. 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.

oneˈ-upmanship

/ wʌnˈʌpmənʃɪp /

noun

1. informal.
   the art or practice of achieving or maintaining an advantage over others, often by slightly unscrupulous means

Word History and Origins

Origin of one-upmanship¹

First recorded in 1950–55; one up + -manship

Example Sentences

A battle of wits between Berle and Chase becomes a darkly funny game of one-upmanship — even if Uncle Milty literally resorts to swinging his d**k around to show Chase who is boss.

From Salon

Jason, who was capped for England, jokingly replied: "It’s always like one-upmanship on who can get hurt the worst."

From BBC

A mini succession drama unfolds, but like the HBO series on the subject, it’s impossible to separate corporate one-upmanship from family dysfunction.

From Los Angeles Times

From the outset, the quarrel over the filings and disclosures seemed to be the sort of petulant but ultimately harmless one-upmanship that often arises in prominent criminal cases.

From New York Times

At an Iowa showcase featuring most of the top Republican presidential contenders, the Florida governor and the South Carolina senator engaged in one-upmanship about who would best support Israel, America’s closest Middle East ally.

From New York Times

Related Words

• gamesmanship