would-be

American  

[wood-bee] / ˈwʊdˌbi /

adjective

1. wishing or pretending to be.

   a would-be wit.

2. intended to be.

   a would-be kindness.

---

noun

1. a person who wishes or pretends to be something.

   Opera singers and would-bes should practice at least four hours a day.

would-be British  

adjective

1. derogatory  wanting or professing to be

   a would-be politician

2. intended to be

   would-be generosity

---

noun

1. derogatory  a person who wants or professes to be something that he is not

2. the person to whom one is is engaged to be married; fiancé or fiancée

Etymology

Origin of would-be

1250–1300; Middle English (adj.)

Example Sentences

Homeownership costs vary widely based on location, property tax, HOA fees, maintenance, insurance, and the prevailing interest rates, which are still too high for many would-be buyers.

From MarketWatch

Instead, would-be tenants would turn to older apartment buildings, single-family homes or, in the most extreme cases, shelters and encampments.

From Los Angeles Times

I think it’s critical for would-be retirees to have some kind of plan to pay for long-term care, if needed.

From The Wall Street Journal

Of those, roughly a third are sanctioned barrels—with some would-be buyers wary of taking delivery, at least temporarily—and another 80 million are in long-haul transit from the Americas to Asia, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

This isn’t a denial of infertility’s heartbreak or a dismissal of would-be parents’ longing to nurture.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• budding
• enterprising
• potential
• prospective