What does “wannabe” mean?
wannabe
Oh, this one's so common!
A "wannabe" is someone who really wants to be like a famous person or part of a cool group — but they're not quite there, and it comes across as a little try-hard or fake.
It actually comes from "want to be." Like, say there's a kid at school who copies everything a popular singer does — the clothes, the hair, the walk — but it feels forced. You'd say, "He's such a wannabe."
You can also use it before a noun, like "a wannabe actor" — meaning someone who dreams of being an actor but isn't really one yet. Sometimes it's mean, sometimes it's just playful, depending on how you say it.
Basically, a wannabe is someone who wants to be something they're not (yet).
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