rampante

upwardly mobile, ambitious

adjective rahm-PAHN-teh Rare

Origin: From French rampant, from ramper (to creep, to climb).

Also means

rampant (heraldry)

Usage Note

Rampante in modern Italian most often describes someone aggressively climbing the social or professional ladder — un giovane rampante (a young go-getter). It can carry a slightly ironic or critical tone, implying ruthless ambition. The heraldic sense (a rearing animal) survives in historical or formal contexts. The plural is rampanti for both genders.

Examples

"Il giovane rampante scalò rapidamente i gradi aziendali."

Natural Translation

The ambitious young man quickly climbed the corporate ladder.

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