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

Instead of finding a process or workflow to automate or replace with tech, companies using Workera are deploying AI for aspirational strategies that would have been much tougher without data models and generative AI. —Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

The price of coffee has surged 41% through September 2025, year over year, although a brewing matcha shortage may disrupt Gen Z’s aspirational new office costume. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2025

Holiday style deserves to be aspirational! —Aemilia Madden, Glamour, 19 Nov. 2025

Ralph Lauren Christmas is the aspirational trend of the holiday season. —Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 18 Nov. 2025

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