ambition
Americannoun
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Stargirl
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Latehomecomer," Vocabulary from the memoir excerpt
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Coming off a breakout 2025 during which she won World Cup golds in Astana and Delhi before becoming world champion in Liverpool, Lamboria is in Glasgow with an uncomplicated ambition.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Debbie is a politician’s wife who sidelined her career aspirations to support his ambition to be Prime Minister.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Freundlich’s ambition notwithstanding, the telescope never did capture the accurate measurements it needed; other scientists would do that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Her ambition is now to help create a broad ballistic missile defence coalition -- "something that does not yet exist in the world" -- in which Fire Point hopes to play a central role.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
His eager ambition along with his great success led him to think “thoughts too great for man,” the thing of all others the gods objected to.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
The National Park Authority has also made increasing dark sky coverage a priority within its five-year Partnership Management Plan, with ambitions to expand the darkest core areas by 10% by 2031.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
However, Paramount suspended such ambitions on Friday, agreeing to delay the merger until after a trial to litigate the merits of the antitrust case brought by Bonta and the other Democrats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon had already flagged that they would fork out more than $700 billion this year on AI ambitions, and are due to report next week.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“The market is underestimating the breadth of XPeng’s AI ambitions but could be overestimating how quickly this can translate into earnings,” Hsiao said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
It is easy enough to have lofty ambitions, but without certain qualities, a butler will simply not progress beyond a certain point.'
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
