as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
college is his immediate aspiration after he graduates from high school
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Recent Examples of aspirations
The defeat was a significant body blow to Arsenal’s aspirations, but City’s 1-0 victory over Burnley can strangely be viewed in a positive light for them.
—
Mark Carey, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
In 1979 the two aspirations—compact readers’ editions and authoritative texts—met in Library of America.
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
This documentary captures the challenges of connection amidst conflict, highlighting Fatma’s faith and aspirations while serving as a poignant reminder of the humanity of Palestinians, resulting in an empathetic portrayal of identity and hope.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
Sennott wrote The Scene, a short film that centers on the Scene bag and Sennott’s aspirations to get invited to the Met Gala.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
All of this is repellent to today’s Republican base, and anyone who has observed the past decade of American politics might have assumed that Rubio’s future political aspirations were DOA.
—Sarah Longwell, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
As a free agent, Smart expressed a desire to play for a team with true championship aspirations.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Though the vast majority — 84% — of Americans said eating healthfully was at least moderately important to them in a recent Deloitte survey, most admit their own habits fall short of their aspirations.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 22 Apr. 2026
For those who believe in equality, in the rights of peoples to define their own future and to have self-determination, Zionism should be understood as an expression of these broader human aspirations.
—Elad Strohmayer, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Mark Carey, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
In 1979 the two aspirations—compact readers’ editions and authoritative texts—met in Library of America.
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
This documentary captures the challenges of connection amidst conflict, highlighting Fatma’s faith and aspirations while serving as a poignant reminder of the humanity of Palestinians, resulting in an empathetic portrayal of identity and hope.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
Sennott wrote The Scene, a short film that centers on the Scene bag and Sennott’s aspirations to get invited to the Met Gala.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
All of this is repellent to today’s Republican base, and anyone who has observed the past decade of American politics might have assumed that Rubio’s future political aspirations were DOA.
—Sarah Longwell, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
As a free agent, Smart expressed a desire to play for a team with true championship aspirations.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Though the vast majority — 84% — of Americans said eating healthfully was at least moderately important to them in a recent Deloitte survey, most admit their own habits fall short of their aspirations.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 22 Apr. 2026
For those who believe in equality, in the rights of peoples to define their own future and to have self-determination, Zionism should be understood as an expression of these broader human aspirations.
—Elad Strohmayer, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspirations
Noun
-
All of Tinley Park’s goals were scored by sophomores.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
As the Moon moves through Cancer, your focus shifts to friends, group dynamics, and shared goals.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Princess Elizabeth and her family toured the Sandringham Park grounds, which were being used for agricultural purposes to contribute to the war efforts, in August 1943.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But as soon as one flagellar motor reverses direction and starts rotating clockwise, the bundle falls apart; the reverse-twirling filament unravels the braid and puts the cell’s flagellar motors at cross-purposes, kicking the cell around.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Your itinerary, your accommodation and your plans are wrapped up in those booking details, and now someone else may have a copy.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The Royals plan to build an entertainment district around the stadium to generate steady profits, though the depths of those plans are not yet clear.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tens of thousands of layoffs at Meta over the last four years as the company balances its AI ambitions with investor unease.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The funding, SpaceNews wrote, speaks to China’s broader space ambitions and strategy of injecting state capital into private industry.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Its aims instead are centered squarely on the importance of Josh and Melissa’s romance, the value in getting one partner to open up for another.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Higher learning belongs to everyone and CHILL at IPH aims to foster a welcoming space for curiosity and growth.—
Independent Picture House,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The second is that Trump, as strategist-in-chief, keeps giving his negotiators objectives so implausible, confused or contradictory that even the wiliest diplomats in history — a Klemens von Metternich in the 19th century, say, or a Henry Kissinger in the 20th — would come up empty.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Under medium- and long-term objectives, the country intends to build its nuclear power industry by 2030, according to the State Council Information Office.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Such incongruence between actions and intentions can also bring about feelings of guilt.—
Becca Stanek,
TheWeek,
24 Apr. 2026
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Closer to home, Jolly does not hide his intentions for Florida.—
Thomas C. Shank,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The work demonstrates that mathematical ideas from classical physics can be used to describe weird and ‘spooky’ behavior that is often attributed to quantum particles.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Every Gothic cathedral is the product of ideas that altered over generations, ambitions abandoned or superseded, compromises with ballooning budgets, labor shortages, or bottlenecks in the supply chain from quarries and forests and mines.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aspirations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspirations. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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