aspiring

adjective

aspir·​ing ə-ˈspī-riŋ 

: desiring and working to achieve a particular goal : having aspirations to attain a specified profession, position, etc.

an aspiring actor [=a person who aspires to be and is trying to become an actor]

an aspiring novelist

Synonyms of aspiring

• ambitious

Examples of aspiring in a Sentence

an aspiring young pianist eager to win the prestigious competition

Recent Examples on the Web

The story follows an aspiring witch, Coco, who finds herself in the center of an ideological conflict between two factions between the Pointed Hats and the Brimmed Caps witches. — Kalai Chik, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

And many aspiring professionals appear to have begun taking that message to heart. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

The Grammy-winning singer, 24, was recently photographed on the Toronto set of The Bell Jar, offering the first glimpse of her transformation into Esther Greenwood, the aspiring young writer at the center of Sylvia Plath‘s beloved 1963 novel. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026

The video for the title track sees Grande nervously walking past one as her character, aspiring actress Pepper, is on the way to audition for a bunch of ghoulish men. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aspiring

• acquiring
• admiring
• conspiring
• enquiring
• expiring
• inspiring
• perspiring
• rehiring
• retiring
• untiring
• firing
• hiring