An aspirant is someone who hopes to win a position that matters — a job with honour, a title, a place in a party or a profession. Newspapers and rather formal English like this noun: “presidential aspirants,” “aspirants to the bench.” You can also use it as an adjective (an aspirant politician), though aspiring is the word most people reach for there. Aspirant feels stiffer and a little old-fashioned, the sort of word that stands in a headline. It is about wanting a rank or a role, not about wanting a sandwich. It does not mean the person has the job yet — only that they are in the running, or wish they were.