Synonyms

aspiring

American

[uh-spahyer-ing] / əˈspaɪər ɪŋ /

adjective

eagerly or ambitiously aiming for a particular career, title, social status, etc.: a team of aspiring gold medalists.

an aspiring composer;
a team of aspiring gold medalists.

Related Words

See ambitious.

Other Word Forms

aspiringly adverb
nonaspiring adjective
unaspiring adjective
unaspiringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of aspiring

First recorded in 1575–1595; aspire ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

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.

When aspiring artists approach her for advice, she adds, her first response is always to ask, "What steps have you taken?"

From BBC

At the centre of this resurgence are reality TV-style trot audition programmes, where tens of thousands of aspiring singers compete for stardom.

From BBC

When he sat down to write the first "Scream" film which appeared in cinemas exactly 30 years ago, horror movies were out of fashion and aspiring Hollywood creative Kevin Williamson had low expectations.

From Barron's

The aspiring actors who auditioned Wednesday hoped to get their chance at a big break similar to the one Chokachi got decades ago.

From Los Angeles Times

Warren, a 41-year-old aspiring rapper, had asked Martin to look after the dogs that day while he went to London to film a music video.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023