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

• ambitious
• go-getting
• hard-driving
• pushing
• self-seeking

Examples of aspiring in a Sentence

an aspiring young pianist eager to win the prestigious competition

Recent Examples on the Web

Back then, Stamets was a student and aspiring mycologist, and Chilton was a commercial mushroom grower. —Mattha Busby, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025

For all the California-bashing, the state remains one of the world’s largest economies, still the place where aspiring actors and filmmakers go to pursue their dreams, whose rich agricultural fields are crucial to feeding America. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2025

But the Governor just signed legislation to provide aspiring barbers and cosmetologists a path that leads much more quickly to a paycheck. —Andrew Wimer, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025

Ana Barraza, 34, is an aspiring immigration attorney with her eye on future political endeavors. —Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Denver Post, 1 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aspiring

• acquiring
• admiring
• conspiring
• enquiring
• expiring
• inspiring
• perspiring
• rehiring
• retiring
• untiring
• firing
• hiring