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.

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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

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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

Once a key storage of wealth, home prices across the country have stagnated, dissuading would-be buyers from investing.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Then, a new arrival: her ex-boyfriend and their two would-be children.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

There’s also a family restaurant that’s struggling and could really use the help of a talented would-be chef obsessed with Italian cuisine.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

But would-be buyers remain nervous about the job market and reluctant to pay high home prices, so it could take more than a small drop in rates to bring them off the sidelines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Martin Luther King arrived at Selma’s Brown Chapel on the evening of January 2, 1965, greeted by an exuberant crowd of seven hundred singing, clapping would-be voters.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• budding
• enterprising
• potential
• prospective