aspiring
adjective
aspir·ing
ə-ˈspī-riŋ 
: desiring and working to achieve a particular goal : having aspirations to attain a specified profession, position, etc.
an aspiring actor [=a person who aspires to be and is trying to become an actor]
an aspiring novelist
Synonyms
Examples of aspiring in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For most aspiring artists, getting work onto the walls of prominent museums takes time, patience and talent.
—
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
The company’s stage manager, Scout, is an aspiring Asian American actor who plays Jefferson’s younger daughter, Polly.
—Imani Perry Janina Edwards Krish Seenivasan Devin Murphy, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
But after saving aspiring photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) during a Brooklyn suicide bombing, Lee becomes a reluctant mentor as the young woman worms her way into their crew.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Bonello himself plays the voice of a director leading the 2014 version of Gabrielle, an aspiring Los Angeles actor, through a green-screen scene in the film’s very first moments, strengthening the feeling that the film is in some part an exploration of Seydoux’s own persona.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Beginning in 1998, more than 15 million viewers tuned in to watch the aspiring comedian, nicknamed Nasubi, who had no clue he was being shown on a program called Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
This dryly witty novel centers on Jules, a twenty-eight-year-old aspiring novelist turned study-guide editor living in Brooklyn, and her younger sister, who has just moved in with her.
—The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
His parents were part of an aspiring class: devoted subjects of the metropole who had worked hard to assimilate and leave behind the island’s history of slavery, certainly not eager to rebel.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Even more shameful is the fact that prosecutors are making this practice more common in criminal trials across the country, whether the rapper is a chart-topping superstar as famous as Young Thug or an aspiring unknown posting their music on YouTube.
—Chris Richards, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
The company’s stage manager, Scout, is an aspiring Asian American actor who plays Jefferson’s younger daughter, Polly.
—Imani Perry Janina Edwards Krish Seenivasan Devin Murphy, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
But after saving aspiring photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) during a Brooklyn suicide bombing, Lee becomes a reluctant mentor as the young woman worms her way into their crew.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Bonello himself plays the voice of a director leading the 2014 version of Gabrielle, an aspiring Los Angeles actor, through a green-screen scene in the film’s very first moments, strengthening the feeling that the film is in some part an exploration of Seydoux’s own persona.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Beginning in 1998, more than 15 million viewers tuned in to watch the aspiring comedian, nicknamed Nasubi, who had no clue he was being shown on a program called Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
This dryly witty novel centers on Jules, a twenty-eight-year-old aspiring novelist turned study-guide editor living in Brooklyn, and her younger sister, who has just moved in with her.
—The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
His parents were part of an aspiring class: devoted subjects of the metropole who had worked hard to assimilate and leave behind the island’s history of slavery, certainly not eager to rebel.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Even more shameful is the fact that prosecutors are making this practice more common in criminal trials across the country, whether the rapper is a chart-topping superstar as famous as Young Thug or an aspiring unknown posting their music on YouTube.
—Chris Richards, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aspiring.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Aspiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aspiring. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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