as in ambitious
having a strong desire for personal advancement
an aspiring young pianist eager to win the prestigious competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in planning
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
aspire to great deeds, and you have a better chance of doing good deeds
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rising
to move or extend upward
a tower aspiring towards the heavens
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of aspiring
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
An excessive force lawsuit against a former San Jose cop disgraced by a racist texting scandal is set to resume, after a federal court ruling last week affirmed the ex-officer is not shielded from litigation in his controversial 2022 shooting of an aspiring college football player.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Kristen Geil, Outside, 22 Sep. 2025
In just a few weeks, aspiring food entrepreneurs in and near Nevada County can learn how to take their products or concepts and land them on store shelves, in food trucks or in restaurants.
—Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for aspiring
Adjective
Here, 20 members of Forbes Coaches Council share key questions all aspiring leaders should ask their mentors, and why the answers matter.
—Verb
Here’s what makes this an auto-recommend to my aspiring running friends.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspiring
Adjective
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This double release proves that their most ambitious and incisive work may still lie ahead.—
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Leadership has described ambitious targets.—
Verb
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Leila and Abbie are at odds but are still planning an escape when Evelyn puts them in a one-on-one Hot Seat session.—
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However, when Leila arrives at the institution, planning to jailbreak her bestie, things begin to shift.—
Verb
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The water system is in most urgent need of financial help, according to the IBA, largely due to the rising costs of buying water from the San Diego County Water Authority and the lack of regular rate hikes prior to 2023.—
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Many in the state are already weathering crowded emergency rooms, rising air conditioning bills and vanishing opportunities to safely work or play outdoors.—
Verb
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The pressure is on for La Liga leader Real Madrid as the capital colossus hosts third-place Espanyol on Saturday, intending to increase its cushion at the summit.—
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Consider Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount, with CEO David Ellison intending to make major changes at CBS News, possibly by bringing on The Free Press founder Bari Weiss in a leading role at the network.—
Verb
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Janney joined The Diplomat in the show’s second season, playing Vice President Grace Penn — who (spoiler alert) will be ascending to the presidency following the death of President William Rayburn (Michael McKean) in the final moments of the season.—
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The speculation spread online, leading some Christians to begin planning for the event, while others satirized about ascending into the sky.—
Verb
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Among the fleet of superyachts in the harbor, Loewe lives up the cliché of looking fast while sitting still.—
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Southwest Detroit grocer Joe Gappy remembers standing outside the grocery store his family owned on the north side of Michigan Avenue and looking across the street at a Kroger store.—
Verb
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Pendleton, who spent more than four decades serving the San Diego Unified School District, steadily climbing the ranks and becoming the first Black person and the first woman to lead what was then the eighth-largest school district in America, died this week in Las Vegas.—
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Property values in many older high-rises have fallen by around 22% since 2024, while insurance premiums, reserve funding demands, and special assessments are climbing.—
Verb
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With soaring valuations— an average NWSL team is worth around $104 million — the pressure to build a successful team is at an all-time high.—
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During the 1920s, as soaring inflation across Germany led to widespread poverty, growing numbers of German smokers began to reject pre-rolled cigarettes.—
Cite this Entry
“Aspiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspiring. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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