wannabe
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wannabe
- /ˈwɒnəbi/
Where it comes from
Written form of a reduction of want to be, analyzable as wanna + be. Wannabe can be considered a conversion, category change, or functional shift. While occasionally appearing in print, usually as a less reduced phrase, the popularity of the word took off in the mid-1980s following the Madonna wannabe fashion trend: “wannabe”, in Google Books Ngram Viewer.
noun wannabes · wanna-be · wannabee · want-to-be
- Someone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant. Hollywood's restaurants are full of wannabe actors waiting to be discovered.
- Someone who wishes to be part of, or to assimilate to, a majority group of which they are not a member. Bigger, mongrelly and black, he was clearly a Doberman wannabe.
Similar: tryhard
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: aspirant, hopeful, wannabee, yearning, pledge, blower, cadet, midshipman, suction, april, apprentice, wanker, tryhard, never-was'er, never-was-er, noobie
noun
Similar: tryhard
Translations
Every language
noun someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications
| Español | un quiero y no puedo, wanabi, wannabi, wanabí, guanabí |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ワナビー wanabī, ワナビ wanabi, もどき modoki |
| Português | metido (a) |
| Français | wannabe |
| Deutsch | Möchtegern |
| العربية | مُتَظَاهِر mutaẓāhir, طَمُوح ṭamūḥ |
Talk about this word "wannabe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wannabe. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. wannabe. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wannabe "wannabe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wannabe.Cite this
@misc{wannabe_2026,
title = {wannabe},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wannabe},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
