aspirants

noun

plural of aspirant
as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award a debate between the two aspirants for the highest office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of aspirants Despite many aspirants and imitators, there really hasn’t been anything like it since. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025 That neutrality could come at a cost, some experts say, should the two GOP aspirants prevail. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026 Many aspirants, like Yusuf, consider jars of skin lightening cream to be essential, along with access to exclusive gyms and going to the right hair salon. — Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026 This time around, absent Wilson or other prominent Black aspirants, those voters would be likely to vote for Johnson. — Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026 Both men reflect a cohort of youthful African aspirants aiming to ride popular disenchantments with governments to high office. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025 There are also seven private villas—airy, palatial, ideal for families or James Bond aspirants—along with an expansion set to be unveiled in 2026. — David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025 Some people defended Altman’s business acumen and dismissed his rivals, especially Sutskever and Amodei, as failed aspirants to his throne. — Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 Meanwhile, both incumbent members of Congress and aspirants will be running in districts that have been radically gerrymandered to shrink Republicans’ tiny delegation even more, as Democrats seek to regain control of Congress. — Dan Walters, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspirants
  1. candidates
  2. applicants
  3. contenders
Noun
  • There were 4,183 ballots cast in the Kings/Ducks voting, and four candidates received at least 75% of the vote.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • His youngest daughter is now among the six candidates in the special election that will decide who finishes his term.
    — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of candidates
Noun
  • Open to individuals and teams aged 18 and older, applicants must submit 2-5 demo tracks by August 12 KST, showcasing originality and global pop potential.
    — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Florida’s clemency and pardon process is notoriously slow, with applicants often waiting for years.
    — Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
Definition of applicants
Noun
  • Such has been such a dramatic overhaul in the conference that the Heat at one moment can be viewed as contenders for the NBA Finals and at another the perception quite reasonably can be … right back in the play-in pool.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 July 2026
  • Elsewhere, general classification contenders Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) all produced good performances to stay within 40 seconds of the leading pair.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of contenders

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Cite this Entry

“Aspirants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspirants. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on aspirants

Nglish: Translation of aspirants for Spanish Speakers

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