aspiration

noun as·pi·ra·tion \ ˌas-pə-ˈrā-shən \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of aspiration

1 a :a strong desire to achieve something high or great

an aspiration to become famous

—usually plural

a young man with political/literary aspirations

b :an object of such desire

An acting career is her aspiration.

2 :a drawing of something in, out, up, or through by or as if by suction: such as

a :the act of breathing and especially of breathing in

b :the withdrawal (as by suction) of fluid or tissue from the body

the aspiration of stomach fluids

c :the taking of foreign matter into the lungs with the respiratory current

problems caused by the aspiration of fluids into the patient's lungs

3 linguistics

a :audible breath that accompanies or comprises a speech sound

b :the pronunciation or addition of an aspiration

the aspiration of the letter "h" in "a house"

; also :the symbol of an aspiration

See aspiration defined for English-language learners

See aspiration defined for kids

Recent Examples of aspiration from the Web

About 25 percent had aspiration pneumonia, a lung infection that can develop from inhaling food, liquid, or vomit.

— don sapatkin, Philly.com, "As heroin overdoses soar, so do hospital ICU costs," 29 Aug. 2017
Trump’s address to the nation on the course of the Afghan campaign was long on aspiration but short on actual policy.

— daniel depetris, National Review, "Five Questions for Trump on Afghanistan," 27 Aug. 2017
But when Kimlan's daughter died tragically soon thereafter in 1999, the determined septuagenarian hit pause on her academic aspirations.

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "Thai Woman Graduates College at 91 Years Old," 10 Aug. 2017
All until this year were mere aspirations because Obama vetoed every major one that reached him.

— alan fram, chicagotribune.com, "Trump tweets, McCain return set stage for health bill vote," 25 July 2017
Their elites shared similar aspirations and spoke the same language, English, in addition to others that spanned the border, such as Urdu and Punjabi.

— The Economist, "Post-partum depressionSeventy years of Indo-Pakistani enmity," 22 July 2017
As Kissinger said, this global vision of China’s future may conflict with America’s own international aspirations.

— rupert stone, National Review, "Margaret Thatcher: High Principle Joined to Power Politics," 5 July 2017
China has to be indulgent of Hong Kong’s aspirations.

— david tweed, Bloomberg.com, "Xi Says Hong Kong Should Profit From China — Not Defy It," 1 July 2017
The magazine doesn’t idealize homogeneity of race or gender norms, but rather a global sameness of taste and aspiration.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Monocle: The Magazine As Boring, Lifestyle, Branding Infastructure," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aspiration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of aspiration

14th century

aspiration Synonyms

Synonyms

ambitiousness, ambition, go-getting

Related Words

determination, diligence, drive, energy, enterprise, go, hustle, industry, initiative, motivation, push; aggression, competitiveness, killer instinct; opportunism, overambitiousness, pretentiousness, pushiness; assertiveness, daring, spirit; ardor, avidity, eagerness, keenness, passion; avarice, greed, hunger

Near Antonyms

apathy, halfheartedness, indifference, unconcern; idleness, indolence, inertia, laziness, lethargy, shiftlessness, sloth

Synonym Discussion of aspiration

ambition, aspiration, pretension mean strong desire for advancement. ambition applies to the desire for personal advancement or preferment and may suggest equally a praiseworthy or an inordinate desire.

- driven by ambition

aspiration implies a striving after something higher than oneself.

- an aspiration to become president someday

pretension suggests ardent desire for recognition of accomplishment often without actual possession of the necessary ability and therefore may imply presumption.