would-be

W w

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [woo d bee]
- /wʊd bi/
- /wʊd bi/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [woo d bee]
- /wʊd bi/

Definitions of would-be word

adjective would-be wishing or pretending to be: a would-be wit. 1
adjective would-be intended to be: a would-be kindness. 1
noun would-be a person who wishes or pretends to be something: Opera singers and would-bes should practice at least four hours a day. 1
adjective would-be wishing, aspiring to be 1
adjective would-be You can use would-be to describe someone who wants or attempts to do a particular thing. For example, a would-be writer is someone who wants to be a writer. 0
adjective would-be wanting or professing to be 0

See all 11 definitions of would-be

Information block about the term

Origin of would-be

First appearance:

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; Middle English (adj.)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Would-be

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Would-be

would-be popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 47% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 56% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

Synonyms for would-be

adj would-be

aspiring — If you use aspiring to describe someone who is starting a particular career, you mean that they are trying to become successful in it.

adjective would-be

hopeful — full of hope; expressing hope: His hopeful words stimulated optimism.
manque — having failed, missed, or fallen short, especially because of circumstances or a defect of character; unsuccessful; unfulfilled or frustrated (usually used postpositively): a poet manqué who never produced a single book of verse.
quasi — resembling; seeming; virtual: a quasi member.
wannabe — one who aspires, often vainly, to emulate another's success or attain eminence in some area.
wishful — having or showing a wish; desirous; longing.

All 6 Synonyms of would-be