variants
also wannabee
as in follower
a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way
an entrepreneur who seems to have made his fortune mainly by giving how-to-get-rich lectures to entrepreneurial wannabes
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wannabe
Like Hughes and every other 20-something, male wannabe in Nashville, Sadler had a prodigious mullet.
—
Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Winning Survivor is a dream come true for any reality contestant wannabe.
—David Kinne, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2025
For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
But the reality is that many of the elections were fake and that the world runneth over with dictators, authoritarians and their wannabes.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Winning Survivor is a dream come true for any reality contestant wannabe.
—David Kinne, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2025
For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
But the reality is that many of the elections were fake and that the world runneth over with dictators, authoritarians and their wannabes.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabe
Noun
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Many people of Heather's followers went on to share their shock at how much Tristan had grown in the comments section.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Beyoncé already has a base of 310 million followers on her Instagram.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There have been prior examples of random laser emissions in everything from stained bovine bones and blue coral skeletons to insect wings, parrot feathers, and human tissue, as well as salmon iridiphores.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
30 July 2025
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That also includes Leonard, a dapper old parrot who lives in the clinic, and Bitchy, a mangy, rangy alley cat who recently wandered into the office and took up residence.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabe. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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