variants
also wannabees
as in followers
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 wannabes
Other wannabes came with security.
—
Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
This is not an attention-grabbing field of gubernatorial wannabes, to put it politely.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Glatzer, who serves as executive producer, writer, and showrunner of the new series, sought to focus on wannabes rather than billionaires, and also consciously expanded the story beyond tech bros.
—Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
Best Toy from a Film Franchise Dragon rider wannabees can put their dreams into motion by bonding and engaging with the ever-playful Toothless.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Just about everyone gets a little pat on the head from ESPN for a big home weekend, but cutesy wannabes don’t get featured on the road.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
This is not an attention-grabbing field of gubernatorial wannabes, to put it politely.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Glatzer, who serves as executive producer, writer, and showrunner of the new series, sought to focus on wannabes rather than billionaires, and also consciously expanded the story beyond tech bros.
—Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
Best Toy from a Film Franchise Dragon rider wannabees can put their dreams into motion by bonding and engaging with the ever-playful Toothless.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Just about everyone gets a little pat on the head from ESPN for a big home weekend, but cutesy wannabes don’t get featured on the road.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabes
Noun
-
Hippocrates and his followers held on to their belief in natural causes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Zator hopes to take his followers along on a journey to state success.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Although Rudolph’s concrete architecture was more complex and soulful than that of many of his imitators, that difference was often overlooked.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
13 Jan. 2026
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The film introduced new slang into the lexicon, repopularized surf rock, and spawned dozens of fast-talking imitators.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Especially in scenes featuring a band’s de facto leader and a willful drummer, there are also thematic echoes of Peter Jackson’s documentary about The Beatles, another example of the above dichotomy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
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The marketing and positioning of actresses in their roles is tougher than it’s been in recent years because of the insult machinery of man-boy social media and its echoes across society more widely.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wannabes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabes. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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