aspiring

[uh-spahyer-ing]

adjective

1. 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.

Other Word Forms

• aspiringly adverb
• nonaspiring adjective
• unaspiring adjective
• unaspiringly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of aspiring¹

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

Synonym Study

See ambitious.

Example Sentences

That series revolved around an aspiring comedian’s increasingly sinister encounters with an eccentric woman.

From Los Angeles Times

Tessa wants a career in criminal justice, and Hannah is an aspiring graphic artist and musician who plays bass in a local band, Exit 23.

From Los Angeles Times

It is the first council to hear from aspiring independent presidential candidates.

From BBC

His parents, in particular his father who was an aspiring jazz musician, loom large as inspiration.

From Los Angeles Times

For high school, the aspiring artist attended Washington Irving, one of the first women’s vocational schools in the city.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• eager 
• would-be