Adjective: would-be 'wûd,bee
Usage: Asia, informal
- Unfulfilled or frustrated in realizing an ambition
"The would-be actor never got his big break";
- manqué
Usage: Asia, informal
- Fiancé or fiancée
"She introduced him as her would-be at the family gathering"
Derived forms: would-bes
See also: ambitious, aspirational