as in inexperienced
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Recent Examples of would-be
Like most would-be revolutions, the nudge was launched with a manifesto.
—
Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Despite economic data sliding in favor of Fed nominee Kevin Warsh, the dovish would-be chair is likely to return to the central bank with something of a battle on his hands.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Sam eventually secures a gig babysitting his therapist’s (Hirsch) three granddaughters, which in turn thrusts him into the rarefied (if a bit closed) world of their parents, including Alessandro Nivola as their would-be rockstar dad David and Peet as their former movie star mom Dianne.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2026
Affordability remains a challenge for millions of would-be homebuyers and continues to restrain the housing market.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for would-be
Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Despite economic data sliding in favor of Fed nominee Kevin Warsh, the dovish would-be chair is likely to return to the central bank with something of a battle on his hands.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Sam eventually secures a gig babysitting his therapist’s (Hirsch) three granddaughters, which in turn thrusts him into the rarefied (if a bit closed) world of their parents, including Alessandro Nivola as their would-be rockstar dad David and Peet as their former movie star mom Dianne.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2026
Affordability remains a challenge for millions of would-be homebuyers and continues to restrain the housing market.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for would-be
Recent Examples of Synonyms for would-be
Adjective
-
The president has directed the department to pursue his personal enemies and has replaced career DOJ employees with inexperienced MAGA loyalists, sometimes to the detriment of his own agenda.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Even on a good day, the area is not for the inexperienced.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Tottenham have been awful at home this season, but with the ‘new-manager bounce’ and also the derby energy, the game might be less one-sided than people expect.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
She’ll be given new clothes, Dana assures her.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Originally hesitant about using the relatively untried medium of radio in this way, The King was reassured by a visit to the BBC in the summer of 1932 and agreed to take part.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
25 Dec. 2025
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The hitch is that Florida is dependent on an untried product.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
18 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Co-created and hosted by Tyra Banks, the reality competition in which amateur beauties vied for the titular title and a modeling contract, among other prizes, ran for 24 seasons on three different networks (UPN, The CW, VH1) between 2003 and 2018.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
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The show has been done by dozens of theaters around the state, from professional productions at such places as Seven Angels Theatre and UConn’s Connecticut Repertory Theatre to amateur productions put together by community theaters or groups of local musicians.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Cooking on unseasoned cast iron can result in sticking, rusting, and a myriad of other issues (some of which are outlined above).—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Hunter saw the logic in Ake’s casualness, which as the head of a learning institution projects a warmth and informality that brings her down to earth for her unseasoned cadets.—
Scott Huver,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dugger served as a backup through the beginning portion of the season before being dealt to the Steelers at the NFL trade deadline.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
New York’s own ban, which went into effect during the current school year, has been widely praised by educators during its beginning months.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The same software handle attacks, so even an unskilled operator can hit fast-evading targets.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Meanwhile, the women faced with that pool of socially unskilled men have largely been overlooked.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
So many of them were untested by the heat and danger, the din and violence and fear, of the battlefield.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
-
McCarthy warned that being too quick to bring untested criminal cases against political adversaries risks damaging institutional legitimacy regardless of which party is in power.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/would-be. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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