as in ambitious
having a strong desire for personal advancement
an aspiring young pianist eager to win the prestigious competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
What followed was a grind that most aspiring pop stars don’t talk about openly.
—Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Arkapaw, the first woman to receive the Academy Award for Cinematography, gave solid advice to aspiring artists.
—John Ross, Vanity Fair, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for aspiring
Adjective
Slate is a refreshing outlier among the aspiring new electric vehicle OEMs.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
What followed was a grind that most aspiring pop stars don’t talk about openly.
—Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
Eventually, Fuqua moved to Los Angeles and found his way into Propaganda Films, an ideal place for an aspiring filmmaker.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Arkapaw, the first woman to receive the Academy Award for Cinematography, gave solid advice to aspiring artists.
—John Ross, Vanity Fair, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for aspiring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspiring
Adjective
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Chess can seem abstruse and forbidding to the uninitiated, but Himelfarb’s account of it is as readable and comprehensible as any more familiar sports story—or, for that matter, any narrative in which a bunch of ambitious people pursue a single goal.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Completely round and full, the full moon will be in the ambitious, mysterious sign of Scorpio.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The district recently approved new course materials for some high school math courses, and is planning for a middle school Spanish language arts pilot and new advanced high school welding class to start next school year.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
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JPMorgan Chase is planning to consolidate workspace for existing Charlotte workers and account for more hiring by moving into a SouthPark office that has room for over 1,000 workers, further expanding its push into the hometown territory of rival banks.—
Chase Jordan
April 21,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s why David Gallo’s setting, a vista of a fragile boarding house nearly consumed by the rising, sun-blotting, industrial landscape of Pittsburgh, works so effectively here.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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After a faulty cooling system was left to disrepair, rising temperatures resulted in an explosion with the equivalent force of 70-100 tons of TNT.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While many leave college intending to return, few ultimately do.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Bishop acquired the property, intending to preserve the inactive cemetery as a memorial site for the military veterans buried there, some dating back to the Civil War.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Wallace won the team’s only race at the Brickyard 400, and an organization that seemed to be ascending suddenly appeared to have leveled off a bit.—
Dave Skretta,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
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In early 1961, nine years after ascending to the throne of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II made her first visit as monarch to India and Pakistan, among other destinations.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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United are, however, also looking at the centre-back market.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Every franchise is looking for that game-changing find.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The war and its economic fallout comes at a time when Americans were already navigating high costs of living from a post-pandemic inflation spike and years of prices climbing much faster than has been typical.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
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Getty Images/iStockphoto Gold has made some serious waves over the last year or two, first passing the $3,000-per-ounce milestone in 2025 before climbing past the $4,000-per-ounce milestone shortly after.—
Aly J Yale,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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New Glenn’s first stage continued a downrange parabolic arc, briefly soaring into space before guiding itself toward Blue Origin’s landing platform in the Atlantic Ocean nearly 400 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 Apr. 2026
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But all was not well in America in 1976, in the aftermath of the unpopular Vietnam War and the presidential scandal that was Watergate, and beset by soaring gasoline prices amid crisis in the Middle East.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aspiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspiring. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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