"Aspire" is a common, formal, intense word. It suggests a potent mix of hope, desire, big dreams, and hard work. Pick it when you want to suggest that someone is striving hard, or at least wishing hard, to achieve some lofty goal.

Talk about people aspiring to things. "They aspire to knowledge." "They aspire to greatness." "They aspire to the glimmering world of high fashion." Here's Gish Jen: "He was a man who aspired to peace, and rest." And Elizabeth Wein: "The upper middle classes...  aspired to wealth and luxury."

Or, talk about people aspiring to do things. "They aspired to understand the natural world." "I aspired to become an astronaut."

Or, talk about aspiring types of people. For example, aspiring writers hope to get published, aspiring actors hope to get cast, and aspiring musicians hope to get record deals.

Or, talk about people's aspirations: the things they eagerly hope to achieve. "My aspirations have changed since fourth grade, when I worshiped Sally Ride and prayed to become an astronaut."

"Hina is ten years younger than Mom, has short hair, a zillion funky pairs of eyeglasses, is this amazing graphic designer and cool in ways I can only aspire to."
 — Samira Ahmed, Love, Hate and Other Filters, 2018

"[Mark Cuban] briefly had his own reality show, called The Benefactor, in which 16 aspiring entrepreneurs competed for a $1 million prize."
— Sean Gregory, Time, 17 June 2011

has this page helped you understand "aspire"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "aspire" without saying "crave" or "yearn."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "At the start of (some story, book, show, or movie), (the main character) aspires to (do something)."

Example: "At the start of The Little Mermaid, Ariel aspires to join the human world."

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "Spot the Sharper Image."

Which of the two items described below is a real one that you can order from the Sharper Image catalog, and which one did I invent? Scroll to the bottom to see which one is real!

Try this set today:

Item A: Cordless Electric Mini Chainsaw. "Operates up to 3 hours on a full charge."

Item B: Virtual Hang Gliding Simulator. "With rotating solar panels, internal lights, and an oscillating fan."

review this word:

1. The opposite of ASPIRE TO could be

A. BE FROM.
B. RUN FROM.
C. STEAL FROM.

2. The well-spoken narrator in A Very Large Expanse of Sea says, "She pushed through every obstacle, never complaining. I aspired _____ of grace and perseverance."

A. to her levels
B. in her shadow
C. behind her wake

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. A Answer to the game question: You truly can order a Cordless Electric Mini Chainsaw from the Sharper Image catalog.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.