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

His name is Paul McGinley, and his thoughtful leadership behind the scenes has led to an aspirational organizational process. —Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Mendes was only a few years older and a product of a similar teen star pipeline, but Ruel didn’t view his success as aspirational. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2025

Mirojnick said the production team wanted to make the movie aspirational for young, ambitious showgirls, elevating Nomi above the tackiness of ‘90s Vegas to become the figurative queen of the Strip. —CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025

He’s not meant to be aspirational, folks. —Emily Temple september 30, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 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