aspirational

adjective

as·​pi·​ra·​tion·​al ˌa-spə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

: of, relating to, or characterized by aspiration

aspirational goals

: such as

a

: having or showing a desire to achieve a high level of success or social status

… private schools are patronised … by parents struggling to produce intelligent, clear-thinking, disciplined, polite, aspirational children …

—Katie Grant

b

: associated with or suggestive of a high level of success and social status and therefore appealing to people who aspire to such status

aspirational brands/products

aspirationally adverb

Examples of aspirational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That tension—respect for the work but lingering resistance to seeing it as an aspirational future for one’s own children—surfaced repeatedly during Travis’s panel. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

Perhaps in another lifetime, or another novel, Ned would find a way to nourish these intimations of benevolence or even love, refusing to let them be spoiled by his own aspirational machismo. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

That was the high baroque period of Black style in the United States, when pimp realism became aspirational for all, even the respectable. — Lucy Sante, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

There’s always another internet grift for someone looking to save himself fast, and without any gimmicky visual intrusions, the film feels authentically tuned into the aspirational mentality and oppressive reality of contemporary social media. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

aspiration + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aspirational

• avocational
• calculational
• combinational
• computational
• conformational
• confrontational
• congregational
• conversational
• correlational
• deformational
• derivational
• educational