🇺🇸
/əˈspaɪrənt/
🇺🇸
/əˈspaɪrənt/
🇬🇧
/əˈspaɪrənt/
🇬🇧
/əˈspaɪrənt/
Plural
aspirants
An aspirant is someone who actively seeks or strives for a particular position, role, honor, or achievement — often with strong ambition and determination. Think of a young lawyer studying late into the night to become a judge, or a community organizer running for city council: they're not just hoping — they're an aspirant.
She is a dedicated aspirant for the Rhodes Scholarship, having published research and volunteered internationally.
The party selected three aspirants to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
As an aspirant chef, he staged at three Michelin-starred restaurants before opening his own bistro.
Many aspirants to academic tenure spend years building their publication record and teaching portfolio.
His speech resonated deeply with young aspirants eager to enter public service.
spir
Comes from the Latin verb 'spirare', meaning 'to breathe'. In derived forms, it evolved metaphorically to signify 'breathing forth' or 'driving force' — hence concepts of desire, drive, and striving. Examples include aspire, inspiration, conspire, expire, respire.
a-
Comes from the Latin prefix 'ad-' (assimilated before 's' to 'a-'), meaning 'to', 'toward', or 'in the direction of'. It conveys movement or orientation toward a goal. Examples include aspire (to breathe toward → to strive for), attract, appoint, affirm.