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would-be

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would-be

  • /ˈwʊd biː/

adjective

  1. not comparable Attempting or desiring something. Would-be marines have to get through a rigorous examination.
  2. not comparable Unfulfilled; frustrated in realizing a goal, ambition, etc. Would-be film stars often become waitresses.

noun would-bes

  1. One who aspires to something. The would-bes are very sure that the managers have it in for them; just as most young writers regard publishers as being in conspiracy against budding genius.

    Similar: wannabe

  2. India One's fiancé or fiancée.

Translations

Every language

adj attempting or desiring something

Françaispseudo-, en puissance
Deutschmöchtegern, pseudo-
Русскиймечтающий mečtajuščij, претендующий pretendujuščij

adj unfulfilled or frustrated in realizing an ambition

Françaissoi-disant
Русскийнесостоявшийся nesostojavšijsja

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MLA

"would-be." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/would-be. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

would-be. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/would-be

Chicago

"would-be." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/would-be.

BibTeX
@misc{would_be_2026,
  title = {would-be},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/would-be},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}