Career Advancement Vocabulary

noun the state or condition of being an adult; the period of time in a person's life when they are fully developed physically and mentally

• Adulthood is typically defined as the period of time when a person reaches maturity and takes on adult responsibilities.
• Once you hit adulthood, you'll have to start paying your own bills and taking care of yourself.
• I can't wait to be done with school and finally enter the world of adulthood.
• Stepping into adulthood is like entering a whole new chapter of life, full of challenges and opportunities.

verb to point or direct (a weapon or camera) at a target

preposition to intend or plan to achieve something

• The company's marketing strategy aims at increasing brand awareness.
• Our goal is to aim at reaching a larger audience with our new product.
• Let's aim at getting more likes on our social media posts.
• His criticism seemed to always aim at my weaknesses rather than my strengths.

noun a person who aspires to achieve a particular goal or position

adjective having ambitions to achieve a particular goal or position

• The young aspirant was determined to excel in her chosen field of study.
• The job fair was full of eager aspirants looking for new opportunities.
• The music competition was fierce, with all the aspirants vying for the top spot.
• The mountain peak loomed large in the distance, a symbol of the ultimate goal for the aspirant climbers.

verb present participle of the verb aspire

adjective having ambitions or hopes of achieving something

• The aspiring young artist spent hours in the studio perfecting her craft.
• My cousin is an aspiring chef and loves experimenting with new recipes.
• I'm an aspiring musician, hoping to make it big one day.
• The aspiring entrepreneur saw every setback as a learning opportunity.

noun the process of coming to be something or of passing into a state

verb to begin to be

• Through hard work and dedication, she has become a successful businesswoman.
• I never thought I would become such good friends with my coworker.
• He's trying to become the next big thing in the music industry.
• The caterpillar will soon become a beautiful butterfly.

verb Deserved is a past tense form of the verb deserve, which means to be worthy of or to have earned something.

• The employee received the promotion because he deserved it based on his hard work and dedication.
• She got an A on the test because she totally deserved it for studying all night.
• He totally deserved to win the game because he's been killing it on the field all season.
• The criminal got what he deserved when he was finally caught and sentenced to prison.

adjective describing someone who is lucky or privileged

• I consider myself fortunate to have been given this opportunity to work with such a talented team.
• I feel lucky to have scored tickets to the concert tonight.
• I'm so grateful for my new job, it's like winning the lottery!
• She felt like a fortunate traveler on a journey filled with unexpected adventures.

verb to make progress or succeed in a particular activity or area

adverb in a forward direction or position

• In order to get ahead in your career, it's important to continuously learn and develop new skills.
• If you want to get ahead at work, make sure to show initiative and take on new challenges.
• If you really want to get ahead in life, you gotta hustle and grind every day.
• Sometimes, taking a step back can actually help you get ahead in the long run.

verb a word that expresses an action or a state of being

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

noun success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions

• Success in this endeavor will largely depend on luck.
• You're in luck! The store is having a sale.
• I'm feeling lucky today, let's go for it!
• Sometimes luck is just being in the right place at the right time.

verb to turn out successfully or as desired; to result in a positive outcome

• It is difficult to predict how the new business venture will pan out.
• I'm not sure if our plan will pan out, but let's give it a try.
• I hope my date with Sarah pans out tonight.
• Despite the challenges, I believe everything will eventually pan out in the end.

verb to categorize or classify someone or something in a narrow or restrictive way

• I feel like I have been pigeonholed into a specific role at work.
• I hate being pigeonholed into doing the same thing every day.
• I don't want to be pigeonholed into just one category.
• Don't pigeonhole yourself into thinking you can only do one thing in life.

noun a performance or action intended to please or impress someone

preposition to behave in a way that is intended to please or impress someone

• The politician tried to play up to the wealthy donors in order to secure more campaign funding.
• She always plays up to the boss to get ahead in her career.
• He's constantly playing up to the popular kids at school to fit in.
• The actor knows how to play up to the audience to keep them engaged during the performance.

noun a course taken as a reminder or to refresh one's memory

• After many years in the workforce, it may be beneficial to take a refresher course to update your skills.
• I haven't used that software in a while, maybe I should take a refresher course.
• I totally bombed that test, I need to take a refresher course ASAP.
• Reading classic novels is like taking a refresher course in literature.

noun a step or stage in a process or series

verb past participle of ring, meaning to make a clear, resonant sound or to call someone on the phone

• She carefully climbed up each rung of the ladder to reach the top.
• I almost slipped on the wet rung of the ladder while cleaning the gutters.
• He's always trying to climb the corporate ladder, stepping on anyone who gets in his way.
• Each rung of success brings him closer to his ultimate goal.

noun the accomplishment of an aim or purpose

adjective having achieved fame, wealth, or social status

• The company's success can be attributed to its strong leadership and innovative strategies.
• She was overjoyed by the success of her new business venture.
• He totally nailed the presentation and it was a huge success.
• Success is like a ladder, you have to climb step by step to reach the top.

noun a process of gaining experience, skills, or achievements in order to reach a higher level or standard

• The process of levelling up in this game requires strategic planning and skill development.
• I've been grinding all week to level up my character in this game.
• I'm so close to hitting the next level, I can taste it!
• By taking on new challenges and learning from them, you are constantly levelling up in life.

noun a position or stage in a process of change or development

verb to advance to a higher level or position through gaining experience or skills

• In order to succeed in this game, you must level up your skills and abilities.
• Dude, you need to level up if you want to beat this boss.
• I spent all weekend grinding to level up my character.
• By taking on new challenges, you can level up in all aspects of your life.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

article a word that is used with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun

• It is unwise to leave money on the table when negotiating a business deal.
• Don't forget to grab your change, you don't want to leave money on the table.
• Hey, make sure you take all your cash with you, don't leave money on the table.
• By not investing in the stock market, you are essentially leaving money on the table.

adjective describing something that has a significant impact on one's life

• The new medical treatment proved to be life-changing for many patients.
• Winning the lottery was definitely a life-changing moment for him.
• Getting accepted into his dream college was a total life-changer.
• Traveling to a new country can be a truly life-changing experience.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being

pronoun a word that can function as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• It is important to pay your dues by contributing to the organization's projects.
• You need to pay your dues if you want to be a part of this group.
• You gotta pay your dues before you can join the club.
• In order to achieve success, you must pay your dues through hard work and perseverance.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

adverb a word that modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb

pronoun a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• It is important not to get ahead of yourself when making long-term plans for the company.
• Hey, don't get ahead of yourself with those big ideas before we've even started.
• Dude, chill out and don't get ahead of yourself with all these grand plans.
• Sometimes it's easy to get ahead of yourself and start imagining success before putting in the necessary work.