aspirational
Americanadjective
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relating to or characterized by aspiration or a strong desire for something.
their aspirational goals for the New Year.
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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.
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Medicine/Medical. relating to the act of removing a fluid from a body cavity or of inhaling a fluid into the lungs.
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Phonetics. relating to articulation involving an audible puff of breath.
Etymology
Origin of aspirational
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."
Vocabulary lists containing aspirational
The Sherlock Society
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Where You See Yourself
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The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman
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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.
“Politics has become so angry and nasty. This is something that’s aspirational for folks,” he said, referring to Americans’ desire for homeownership.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
For aspirational shoppers, surging handbag prices have made shoes the new entry-level luxury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
I've got a vision of that and it's aspirational.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“We had started much higher, at an aspirational price, then came down to a realistic number,” Wines said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
On the aspirational level, however, a constitutional amendment strategy may be more valuable.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
