as in ambitious
having a strong desire for personal advancement
an aspiring young pianist eager to win the prestigious competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in planning
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
aspire to great deeds, and you have a better chance of doing good deeds
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rising
to move or extend upward
a tower aspiring towards the heavens
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of aspiring
Jacqueline Jevtich, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Spencer Pratt, the former reality-TV star and aspiring mayor of Los Angeles, recently spoke with me for a podcast.
—Meghan Daum, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 May 2026
Weinstein, the disgraced former producer currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York in Riker’s Island, was on trial for what was now the third time involving a rape accusation from an aspiring actress back in 2013.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for aspiring
Adjective
This is the reality many aspiring creators face, entering an industry that continues to outpace the formal structures surrounding it.
—Jacqueline Jevtich, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Spencer Pratt, the former reality-TV star and aspiring mayor of Los Angeles, recently spoke with me for a podcast.
—Meghan Daum, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Verb
That jury could not reach a verdict on a charge of third-degree rape of Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress, forcing prosecutors to try the count for a third time.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 May 2026
Weinstein, the disgraced former producer currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York in Riker’s Island, was on trial for what was now the third time involving a rape accusation from an aspiring actress back in 2013.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for aspiring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspiring
Adjective
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Relegation to the Championship, however, often means a club’s most ambitious targets become unaffordable or more likely to sign elsewhere.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
-
The words are polished, hopeful and ambitious.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Many four-year colleges have been planning for such a transition for years.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
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Too bad then that the man holding a debt over his head (Jonathan Coyne) is actually planning on offing him in his last match.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Entire streets in the west Orange County community disappeared underwater as residents scrambled to escape rising floodwaters in the middle of the night.—
Greg Bennett,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
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The response to rising antisemitism is not retreat.—
Debra Newman Kamin,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Many Democrats, spooked by the prospect of their party being frozen out in June’s top-two primary, have been clinging to their ballots, intending to vote at the last moment for whichever Democrat appears likeliest to finish first.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Prosecutors were intending to keep Wright behind bars until his trial but withdrew their request during the hearing.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Shadows and light, inside Wallace Chan's Mythos exhibition Visitors encounter shifting perspectives of the sculptures while ascending the tower’s circular staircase.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Before resurfacing, the divers must stay in shallow water to decompress after ascending from the cave’s depths.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Qassem and Hanan drove from one hospital to another, trying to find Malak, while Ali stayed behind and kept looking for Zahra.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
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Sheriff’s homicide investigators are looking into the case.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2026
Verb
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Ultimately, Orcutt and Fratti landed on a set of compositions that conjure an aching sense of nostalgia and familiarity through cello and guitar melodies that interweave and blossom like a trellis-climbing vine.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2026
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First making a splash while departing Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, Hadid boarded a boat in a vintage pink gingham Chantal Thomass look, with stacks of gold bangles climbing both arms.—
Lauren Fisher,
Footwear News,
22 May 2026
Verb
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For one, tech behemoth Microsoft reported better-than-expected quarterly results recently and told investors that capital expenditures for the year will reach $190 billion due to soaring memory costs.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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Denbil, chairman of Horn Gardens in the city of Hargeisa, says the delays, driven by disruptions linked to the war in the Middle East, are hitting farmers and families across the country, as soaring food and fuel prices deepen an already severe hunger crisis and push Somalia closer to famine.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aspiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspiring. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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