wannabe

[won-uh-bee, waw-nuh‐]

See more synonyms for wannabe on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural wan·na·bes. Informal.

one who aspires, often vainly, to emulate another's success or attain eminence in some area.

Origin of wannabe

1980–85; derivative of (I) wanna be…

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for wannabe

prospective, budding, potential, enterprising, contestant, applicant, candidate, competitor, hopeful, wannabe, postulant, striver, ambitious, eager, keen, promising, wishful, striving

Examples from the Web for wannabe

Contemporary Examples of wannabe

Doane tweeted, “the film does make fun of Wannabe Berean unimaginative Christians who need to lighten up.”
Kirk Cameron Saves Christmas from Abominable Killjoys (Other Christians)
Brandy Zadrozny
November 14, 2014
Mike Huckabee, the Fox News host and wannabe presidential contender, was governor of my home state, Arkansas, until 2007.
Arkansas’s Blue Collar Social Conservatives Don’t Know What’s Coming
Monica Potts
November 10, 2014
When the media show the hyper actions of these wannabe soldiers, public perception changes.
Ferguson Shows a Nation at War With Itself
Roland S. Martin
August 16, 2014
Wannabe senator Rick Weiland of South Dakota channels The Man in Black in a new campaign video.
Dem Brings in Country Crooning ‘Cash’ to Appeal to Ordinary Folk
David Freedlander
April 16, 2014
At George Washington University, wannabe political peddlers can now study the much-maligned world of swaying and influencing.
Earn Your Degree in… Lobbying?
Michelle Cottle
April 3, 2014

British Dictionary definitions for wannabe

wannabe

wannabee

noun

informal
1. a person who desires to be, or be like, someone or something elsea group of Marilyn Monroe wannabes
2. (as modifier)a wannabe film star

Word Origin for wannabe

C20: phonetic shortening of want to be

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for wannabe

1981, originally American English surfer slang, from casual pronunciation of want to be; popularized c.1984 in reference to female fans of pop singer Madonna.