aspirational

adjective

as·​pi·​ra·​tion·​al ˌa-spə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

: of, relating to, or characterized by aspiration

aspirational goals

: such as

a

: having or showing a desire to achieve a high level of success or social status

… private schools are patronised … by parents struggling to produce intelligent, clear-thinking, disciplined, polite, aspirational children …

—Katie Grant

b

: associated with or suggestive of a high level of success and social status and therefore appealing to people who aspire to such status

aspirational brands/products

aspirationally adverb

Examples of aspirational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cozy, aspirational interiors are an undeniable ingredient in Nancy Meyers’s filmmaking recipe. — Kelly Allen, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Without that separate action layer, the audit trail is aspirational at best. — Alex Salazar, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

That tension—respect for the work but lingering resistance to seeing it as an aspirational future for one’s own children—surfaced repeatedly during Travis’s panel. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

Perhaps in another lifetime, or another novel, Ned would find a way to nourish these intimations of benevolence or even love, refusing to let them be spoiled by his own aspirational machismo. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

aspiration + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aspirational

• avocational
• calculational
• combinational
• computational
• conformational
• confrontational
• congregational
• conversational
• correlational
• deformational
• derivational
• educational