WOULD-BE Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

would-be

adjective

Definition of would-be

as in inexperienced

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of would-be His latest film, Ballad of a Small Player, was released by Netflix last year and starred Colin Farrell as a down-on-his-luck, would-be big-time gambler working the baccarat tables of Macau to pay down a mountains of debt from his present and past. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026 Without principle, without a moral compass, with no checks and balances, our would-be-dictator is an embarrassing stain on the soul of a once-proud America. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 The highlight of the drive, though, was Mensah’s 44-yard pass to Daylyn Upshaw after eluding two would-be sacks before getting off the throw. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 This would-be Colette, who knew her time and speaks to ours, was born Rosalyn Bronznick in 1926, and grew up in the Bronx. — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for would-be

Recent Examples of Synonyms for would-be

Adjective

Right tackle Joe Alt (neck) and left guard Kayode Awosika (fibula) remain out, meaning rookie center Jake Slaughter will continue to anchor a front that has featured several inexperienced players over the last two games.

— Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
These experienced and skilled athletes, who are often 22 or 23 years old, are appealing to coaches, especially when compared with inexperienced and physically less developed freshmen.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of inexperienced

Adjective

While Usher was off basking in the afterglow of Confessions, maturing into a divorcé in the mid-2000s, the R&B world was already priming itself for a new-school successor.

— Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
Many voters thank him for pulling Serbia from economic obscurity and orchestrating a period of sustained modernisation including new highways, railways, schools and hospitals.

— Reuters, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of new

Adjective

Still, all but Verse (7 ½ sacks last year) are untried.

— Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2026
The audacity of such a mission, wrapping so many untried things into a single flight, meant Artemis III would not have launched for at least two more years, and probably more like three, four, or more.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 Mar. 2026

Definition of untried

Adjective

Born in 1865 into a wealthy family of landowners and wine merchants, Fayet learned to paint alongside his father and uncle, both amateur artists.

— Julie Coe, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2026
This year's tournament included 80 professional and amateur squads from Major League Soccer, United Soccer League, and other leagues.

— Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of amateur

Adjective

After his beginning years in the cafe, Trygar has since moved to the maintenance department and has been responsible for taking care some of Kennywood's iconic rides like the Racer, the Log Jammer, and the Merry Go Round.

— Mike Darnay, CBS News, 7 May 2026
The band joins Yellowcard for the Up Up Down Down Tour, a 27-date spring outing with Plain White T’s beginning May 6 in Atlanta and concluding June 20 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2026

Definition of beginning

Adjective

An unskilled crew can raise a structural shell in weeks instead of months, and the finished building resists fire, mold, and Category 5 hurricane winds.

— Joe Mullich, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Persona did not see economic viability in the unskilled labor approach, Radford says.

— Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of unskilled

Adjective

But Sung, Bennett and Miller stayed his order, finding that the California deployment could go forward under an obscure and virtually untested subsection of the law.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Does anyone believe that a new chief of staff, with an untested relationship with Trump, would survive any longer than an Apprentice contestant?

— Chris Whipple, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of untested

Browse Nearby Words

worthy

would-be

wound

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Style

“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/would-be. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of would-be

adjective

Example Sentences

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