"wannabe" meaning in English

See wannabe in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈwɒnəbi/ Audio: en-au-wannabe.ogg Forms: wannabes [plural]
Etymology: Written form of a reduction of want to be, analysable 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 at the Google Books Ngram Viewer. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|wanna|be|notext=1|type=exocentric}} wanna + be Head templates: {{en-noun}} wannabe (plural wannabes)
  1. (informal, derogatory, often attributive) Someone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant. Tags: attributive, derogatory, informal, often Categories (topical): People Translations (someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications): rádoby (Czech), wannabe [masculine] (Dutch), matkija (Finnish), wannabe [masculine] (French), Möchtegern [masculine] (German), önjelölt (Hungarian), ワナビー (wanabī) (Japanese), ワナビ (wanabi) (Japanese), もどき (modoki) (Japanese), wannabe [masculine] (Norwegian), un quiero y no puedo (Spanish), aspirante (Spanish), wanabi [Puerto-Rico, feminine, masculine] (Spanish), wannabi (english: Greater United States) [feminine, masculine] (Spanish), aparentador [masculine] (Spanish), guanabí [US, feminine, masculine] (Spanish), pretencioso (Spanish), pretensioso (Spanish), wannabe [common-gender] (Swedish), özenti (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-wannabe-en-noun-ZQDtgXNJ Disambiguation of People: 64 36 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English exocentric compounds, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Norwegian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Turkish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 85 15 Disambiguation of English exocentric compounds: 58 42 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 85 15 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 86 14 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 78 22 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 80 20 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 82 18 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 84 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 75 25 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 85 15 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 88 12 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 82 18 Disambiguation of Terms with Turkish translations: 82 18 Disambiguation of 'someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications': 60 40
  2. (informal, derogatory) Someone who wishes to be part of, or to assimilate to, a majority group of which they are not a member. Tags: derogatory, informal
    Sense id: en-wannabe-en-noun-UhtDaGXx
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: tryhard, wanna-be, wannabee, want-to-be Derived forms: Madonnabe, wannabeism Related terms: gonnabe, has-been, -to-be, would-be Coordinate_terms: bootlicker, poseur, sellout, suckup

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

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  "coordinate_terms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "bootlicker"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "poseur"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "sellout"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "suckup"
    }
  ],
  "derived": [
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      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "Madonnabe"
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    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "wannabeism"
    }
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  "etymology_templates": [
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      "name": "compound"
    }
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  "etymology_text": "Written form of a reduction of want to be, analysable as wanna + be. Wannabe can be considered a conversion, category change, or functional shift.\nWhile 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 at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.",
  "forms": [
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      "tags": [
        "plural"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "gonnabe"
    },
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      "_dis1": "0 0",
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          "_dis": "86 14",
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          "_dis": "89 11",
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          "_dis": "78 22",
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          "_dis": "80 20",
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          "_dis": "81 19",
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        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
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          "_dis": "84 16",
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        {
          "_dis": "75 25",
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          "_dis": "85 15",
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          "_dis": "81 19",
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          "name": "Terms with Norwegian translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "88 12",
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        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "64 36",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Hollywood's restaurants are full of wannabe actors waiting to be discovered.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, BioWare, quoting Sho D'hen, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Mars:",
          "text": "Who the hell is that woman messing in my files? GET HER OUT OF HERE! I won't have my system messed up by some wannabe \"expert\" who'll be gone next week! Damn strangers who think they know it all but don't care about what we're really trying to achieve here.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 251:",
          "text": "He had the reputation of a wannabe hardman, riding his cousin's coattails.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant."
      ],
      "id": "en-wannabe-en-noun-ZQDtgXNJ",
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          "derogatory",
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        [
          "qualification",
          "qualification"
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        [
          "talent",
          "talent"
        ],
        [
          "overeager",
          "overeager"
        ],
        [
          "amateur",
          "amateur"
        ],
        [
          "aspirant",
          "aspirant"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal, derogatory, often attributive) Someone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "attributive",
        "derogatory",
        "informal",
        "often"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "rádoby"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "wannabe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "matkija"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "wannabe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Möchtegern"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "önjelölt"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "wanabī",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "ワナビー"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "wanabi",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "ワナビ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "modoki",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "もどき"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "wannabe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "un quiero y no puedo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "aspirante"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
            "Puerto-Rico",
            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "wanabi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "english": "Greater United States",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "wannabi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
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          ],
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        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
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            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "guanabí"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "pretencioso"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "pretensioso"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "wannabe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
          "word": "özenti"
        }
      ]
    },
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      "categories": [],
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        {
          "ref": "2000, Bill Oddie, Gripping Yarns, page 126:",
          "text": "Bigger, mongrelly and black, he was clearly a Doberman wannabe.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "Someone who wishes to be part of, or to assimilate to, a majority group of which they are not a member."
      ],
      "id": "en-wannabe-en-noun-UhtDaGXx",
      "links": [
        [
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          "derogatory"
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      ],
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        "(informal, derogatory) Someone who wishes to be part of, or to assimilate to, a majority group of which they are not a member."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈwɒnəbi/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-wannabe.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c3/En-au-wannabe.ogg/En-au-wannabe.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/En-au-wannabe.ogg"
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "tryhard"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "wanna-be"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "wannabee"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "want-to-be"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "functional shift"
  ],
  "word": "wannabe"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English exocentric compounds",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Turkish translations",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "coordinate_terms": [
    {
      "word": "bootlicker"
    },
    {
      "word": "poseur"
    },
    {
      "word": "sellout"
    },
    {
      "word": "suckup"
    }
  ],
  "derived": [
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      "word": "Madonnabe"
    },
    {
      "word": "wannabeism"
    }
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      "name": "compound"
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  "etymology_text": "Written form of a reduction of want to be, analysable as wanna + be. Wannabe can be considered a conversion, category change, or functional shift.\nWhile 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 at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.",
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  "lang_code": "en",
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    {
      "word": "has-been"
    },
    {
      "word": "-to-be"
    },
    {
      "word": "would-be"
    }
  ],
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    {
      "categories": [
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        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
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        {
          "text": "Hollywood's restaurants are full of wannabe actors waiting to be discovered.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, BioWare, quoting Sho D'hen, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Mars:",
          "text": "Who the hell is that woman messing in my files? GET HER OUT OF HERE! I won't have my system messed up by some wannabe \"expert\" who'll be gone next week! Damn strangers who think they know it all but don't care about what we're really trying to achieve here.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 251:",
          "text": "He had the reputation of a wannabe hardman, riding his cousin's coattails.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "Someone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "derogatory"
        ],
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        [
          "overeager",
          "overeager"
        ],
        [
          "amateur",
          "amateur"
        ],
        [
          "aspirant",
          "aspirant"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal, derogatory, often attributive) Someone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant."
      ],
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        "attributive",
        "derogatory",
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        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2000, Bill Oddie, Gripping Yarns, page 126:",
          "text": "Bigger, mongrelly and black, he was clearly a Doberman wannabe.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who wishes to be part of, or to assimilate to, a majority group of which they are not a member."
      ],
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        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
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        "(informal, derogatory) Someone who wishes to be part of, or to assimilate to, a majority group of which they are not a member."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/ˈwɒnəbi/"
    },
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      "audio": "en-au-wannabe.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c3/En-au-wannabe.ogg/En-au-wannabe.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/En-au-wannabe.ogg"
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "tryhard"
    },
    {
      "word": "wanna-be"
    },
    {
      "word": "wannabee"
    },
    {
      "word": "want-to-be"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "rádoby"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "wannabe"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "matkija"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "wannabe"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Möchtegern"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "önjelölt"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "wanabī",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "ワナビー"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "wanabi",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "ワナビ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "modoki",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "もどき"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "wannabe"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "un quiero y no puedo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "aspirante"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "Puerto-Rico",
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "wanabi"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "english": "Greater United States",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "wannabi"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "aparentador"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "guanabí"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "pretencioso"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "pretensioso"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "wannabe"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "someone who wishes to be like someone, but lacks the qualifications",
      "word": "özenti"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "functional shift"
  ],
  "word": "wannabe"
}

Download raw JSONL data for wannabe meaning in English (7.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.