ambition
Americannoun
-
ambitions
plural
-
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
-
the object, state, or result desired or sought after.
The crown was his ambition.
-
desire for work or activity; energy.
I awoke feeling tired and utterly lacking in ambition.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
strong desire for success, achievement, or distinction
-
something so desired; goal; aim
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ambition
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
Explanation
Ambition is a strong desire to achieve. It's what Macbeth had too much of, and what slackers have too little of. If a person has ambition, the goal is usually wealth, power, or fame. This Middle English word is derived from Latin ambitiō, from ambīre "to go around or about." In ancient Rome, candidates for office would go around to gain votes, to further their goal of being powerful or famous.
Vocabulary lists containing ambition
Nothing But the Truth
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Stargirl
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"The Latehomecomer," Vocabulary from the memoir excerpt
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The spectrum could serve SpaceX’s stated ambition of moving its Starlink satellite service beyond broadband into the wireless market to compete with the likes of AT&T T 1.63%increase; up pointing triangle and Verizon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The ambition to build a nuclear power plant at Rooppur dates back to the 1960s.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Our ambition here is to make this a global event that celebrates the biggest stars on television around the world,” Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said in an interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
It may have ambition, and it may have exactly the kind of role Cruise needs to pursue.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
I had started to develop a new ambition toward the end of my time at the missionary school.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
The project at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, a port often called Vizag, is championed by India as a cornerstone of its technological ambitions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
She has started studying health and social care at college, with ambitions of becoming a nurse, having spent most of her life surrounded by medical staff.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Acquiring Grain Management’s 800 MHz spectrum gives Starlink’s mobile ambitions a major boost, providing the groundwork for cellular networks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
With elegant symmetry and a cool, genteel prose style, Ms. Li tracks these parallel stories, exploring the duo’s worldly educations and the ruthless sacrifices to love and friendship they make in pursuit of their ambitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
He had been refused a visa years ago, when he was newly graduated and drunk with American ambitions, but with his new bank statements, he easily got a visa.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
