ambition

[am-bish-uhn]

noun

1. an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.

   Too much ambition caused him to be disliked by his colleagues.

   Synonyms: longing, yearning, aspiration

2. the object, state, or result desired or sought after.

   The crown was his ambition.

   Synonyms: aim, goal

3. desire for work or activity; energy.

   I awoke feeling tired and utterly lacking in ambition.

   Synonyms: force, drive

verb (used with object)

1. to seek after earnestly; aspire to.

ambition

/ æmˈbɪʃən /

noun

1. strong desire for success, achievement, or distinction

2. something so desired; goal; aim

Other Word Forms

• ambitionless adjective
• ambitionlessly adverb
• preambition noun
• superambition noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ambition¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ambicio(u)n, from Middle French or directly from Latin ambitiōn- (stem of ambitiō ), equivalent to amb- ambi- + -i- “go” + -t- past participle suffix + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of ambition¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin ambitiō a going round (of candidates), a striving to please, from ambīre to go round; see _ambit

Example Sentences

But declining sunlight could cast a shadow on the country's solar ambitions.

Read more on BBC

But it is a gamble, and there is reason to doubt whether Altman will achieve anything near the full extent of his ambitions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

SpaceX's massive Starship rocket soared into its 11th test flight Monday, as the US company vies to ready its aerospace technology to deliver NASA's lunar projects and fulfill Elon Musk's Mars ambitions.

Read more on Barron's

Core principles, particularly those limiting the role of government and expanding economic freedom, are increasingly taking a back seat to political ambition.

Read more on MarketWatch

Joy isn’t what you feel when your deepest ambitions have been thwarted.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• appetite 
• aspiration 
• desire 
• energy 
• enthusiasm 
• hope 
• initiative 
• longing 
• love 
• lust 
• passion 
• pretension 
• spirit 
• vigor 
• yearning 
• zeal