Meaning & use
aspiring writer
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who hopes to become a professional writer and is developing their skills.
Grammar: Countable; say 'an aspiring writer' for one and 'aspiring writers' for several.
Patterns
- an aspiring writer
- aspiring writers
He is an aspiring writer who posts short stories online.
The workshop welcomes aspiring writers of all ages.
Many aspiring writers struggle to find time to write.
Word forms
| plural | aspiring writers |
|---|
Common combinations
- an aspiring writer
- An aspiring writer should read widely and write daily.
- young aspiring writer
- The prize is open to any young aspiring writer under twenty.
- aspiring writer looking for
- She is an aspiring writer looking for an agent.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aspiring author
- Nearly the same; 'author' often suggests book writing, while 'writer' covers any kind of writing.
- budding writer
- Slightly more positive and suggests talent already showing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: aspiring writer or aspiring author?
aspiring writer vs aspiring author
Very close, but 'author' usually points to books, while 'writer' can be anyone who writes, including bloggers and copywriters.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'aspiring writer' correctly.
Choose one answer.
An aspiring writer is still developing and hoping to succeed, so keeping story ideas fits. Option 0 describes an already successful writer; option 2 describes a working editor; option 3 confuses the writer with a fictional character.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aspiring writer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.