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Antonyms for aspire

Grammar : Verb
Spell : uh-spahyuhr
Phonetic Transcription : əˈspaɪər


Definition of aspire

Origin :
  • "to strive for," c.1400, from Old French aspirer "aspire to; inspire; breathe, breathe on" (12c.), from Latin aspirare "to breathe upon, to breathe," also, in transferred senses, "to be favorable to, assist; to climb up to, to endeavor to obtain, to reach to, to seek to reach; infuse," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit (n.)). The notion is of "panting with desire," or perhaps of rising smoke. Related: Aspired; aspiring.
  • verb aim, hope
Example sentences :
  • She could not aspire to be one of them, but she could be loyal, she could "stick up" for them.
  • Extract from : « Pee-wee Harris » by Percy Keese Fitzhugh
  • Man cannot aspire if he look down; if he will rise, he must look up.
  • Extract from : « Self-Help » by Samuel Smiles
  • Why should you aspire to pluck the flower which has grown up amongst us?
  • Extract from : « Micah Clarke » by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • We aspire to the top to look for Rest; it lies at the bottom.
  • Extract from : « Pax Vobiscum » by Henry Drummond
  • Pride and ambition had led him to aspire to the crown which was settled on Shaddai's Son.
  • Extract from : « Bunyan » by James Anthony Froude
  • Henry, why do you not aspire to so distinguished a relationship?
  • Extract from : « The Elm Tree Tales » by F. Irene Burge Smith
  • The simplest words,—we do not know what they mean except when we love and aspire.
  • Extract from : « Essays, First Series » by Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • We have had our opportunity and do not aspire to be more than men: we have received our 'wages and are going home.'
  • Extract from : « Laws » by Plato
  • A man of his stamp could carry off anything, do anything, aspire to anything.
  • Extract from : « An Outcast of the Islands » by Joseph Conrad
  • But Nostromo does not aspire to be a leader in a personal game.
  • Extract from : « Notes on My Books » by Joseph Conrad

Synonyms for aspire

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019