wouldbe

would-be

W w

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [woo d-bee]
- /ˈwʊdˌbi/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [woo d-bee]
- /ˈwʊdˌbi/

Definitions of wouldbe word

adjective wouldbe wishing or pretending to be: a would-be wit. 1
adjective wouldbe intended to be: a would-be kindness. 1
noun wouldbe a person who wishes or pretends to be something: Opera singers and would-bes should practice at least four hours a day. 1

See all 3 definitions of wouldbe

Information block about the term

Origin of wouldbe

First appearance:

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; Middle English (adj.)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Wouldbe

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Wouldbe

wouldbe 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 67% 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.