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GRE vocabulary

aspiration

nounHigh-frequency wordMore A words

a strong desire or ambition to achieve something, or the act of breathing in

Word origin: From Latin aspirare, to breathe upon (ad- to plus spirare to breathe).

In a sentence

Aspiration in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing aspiration in a sentence.

Her aspiration to become a physician drove her to study relentlessly.

Her lifelong aspiration to direct an opera was finally realized at the age of sixty.

Synonyms
ambitionyearninggoaldesire
Antonyms
indifferenceapathyresignation
Usage & nuance

Using “aspiration” well

Aspiration most often denotes a strong ambition or hope to achieve something. It also has a separate technical sense, the act of breathing in, which the GRE rarely tests.

Common questions

Questions about “aspiration

Aspiration (noun) means a strong desire or ambition to achieve something, or the act of breathing in
Here is aspiration used in an example sentence: "Her aspiration to become a physician drove her to study relentlessly." Another example: "Her lifelong aspiration to direct an opera was finally realized at the age of sixty."
Common synonyms for aspiration include ambition, yearning, goal, desire.
Antonyms of aspiration include indifference, apathy, resignation.
Aspiration pairs with ambition, yearning, goal, and desire in GRE Verbal. Its antonyms indifference, apathy, and resignation mark the absence of ambition a passage may set against it.
Yes. Aspiration is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.