aspirant
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of aspirant
First recorded in 1730–40; from French or directly from Latin aspīrant- (stem of aspīrāns, present participle of aspīrāre ); see origin at aspire, -ant
Explanation
Ambition is the name of the game for an aspirant, a young person who sets her sights on rising to the top in her chosen field. Every young person who wishes on a star for fame and fortune is an aspirant. Used mostly as a noun, the word also works as an adjective — describing the desire to move up the corporate ladder, to receive national recognition for saving the world, or to achieve success on the Broadway stage — whatever one aspires to: "The aspirant dancer had to start her career as an understudy to the prima ballerina."
Vocabulary lists containing aspirant
Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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An Ember in the Ashes
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And there's a talent contest going on inside the Labour Party, with Andy Burnham the Simon Cowell, and aspirant ministers auditioning for their place.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
When Henry of Navarre sought to become king in the 16th century, the Protestant aspirant faced fierce opposition within Catholic France.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
But in a world supposedly clamoring for more shows like “Rome,” DeKnight served up a more popularly appealing vision; critics wrote it off as a small-screen aspirant to succeed “300.”
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025
Soon after, Lynch came across her headshot while preparing “Mulholland Drive,” convinced she would be perfect for Betty, a fresh-faced aspirant just arrived in the City of Angels, ready to run down her acting fantasies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025
Let me suggest another story: strange facts are always aspirant plain facts.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
