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.

An aspiring writer as a teenager, Burden turned her focus to law in college, earning a degree in Juvenile and Immigration Law from New York University.

From Los Angeles Times

Bill Ackman, aspiring to replace him as the world’s leading investment guru, thinks the time has come to act on that advice.

From Barron's

Here, he discusses “The Pitt,” his best advice for aspiring chefs and rethinking menus for the Ozempic era.

From The Wall Street Journal

For all young aspiring footballers, the dream of becoming a professional player is a special one.

From BBC

One was the awestruck girl from the South discovering New York City for the first time, another was the hunky model, aspiring actor, and so on.

From The Wall Street Journal

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