aspirational

American  

[as-puh-rey-shuh-nl] / ˌæs pəˈreɪ ʃə nl /

adjective

1. relating to or characterized by aspiration or a strong desire for something.

   their aspirational goals for the New Year.

2. aimed at or appealing to people who want to attain a higher social position or standard of living.

   a magazine featuring aspirational products for the home.

3. Medicine/Medical. relating to the act of removing a fluid from a body cavity or of inhaling a fluid into the lungs.

4. Phonetics. relating to articulation involving an audible puff of breath.

---

Etymology

Origin of aspirational

aspiration + -al ¹

Explanation

Aspirational things are ambitious, like a goal you're aiming for. Your dreams of being a famous movie star are certainly aspirational, although maybe a little unrealistic. The adjective aspirational can simply describe your objectives or goals in life: in other words, the things you aspire to do. However, the word often implies a desire to achieve social status. If you think of aspirational social media accounts, which give snapshots of impossibly glamorous or wealthy lifestyles, you get the idea. The Latin root of aspirational is aspirare, which means both "to reach for" and "to breathe."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aspirational

First, practice distinguishing between what the Constitution says and what judges and justices say about the Constitution, a document riddled with aspirational vagaries and flexible abstractions.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026

"It's aspirational but attainable. A lot of the stuff he wears isn't outside the realm of possibility."

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

So far, Whoop has focused its marketing efforts on positioning itself as an aspirational brand worn by some of the fittest people in the world in the most rarefied spaces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Though Musk’s visions of giant rocket ships, orbiting AI data centers and Martian cities remain mostly aspirational, SpaceX is now the sixth most valuable U.S.-listed company with a market cap over $2.5 trillion.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

On the aspirational level, however, a constitutional amendment strategy may be more valuable.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker