definitions

ambitious

[ am-bish-uhs ]
/ æmˈbɪʃ əs /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ambitious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having ambition; eagerly desirous of achieving or obtaining success, power, wealth, a specific goal, etc.: ambitious students.
showing or caused by ambition or an earnest desire for achievement or distinction: an ambitious attempt to break the record for number of wins in a single season.
strongly desirous; eager: ambitious of love and approval.
requiring exceptional effort, ability, etc.: The candidate is proposing an ambitious program for eliminating all slums.

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RELATED WORDS

desire, goal, aspiration, drive, aim, purpose, objective, emulation

Nearby words

ambisonics, ambisyllabic, ambit, ambitendency, ambition, ambitious, ambivalence, ambivalent, ambivalent sexism, ambiversion, ambivert

Origin of ambitious

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin ambitiōsus, equivalent to ambiti(ō) ambition + -ōsus -ous

Related forms

Synonym study

1. Ambitious, aspiring, enterprising describe a person who wishes to rise above his or her present position or condition. The ambitious person wishes to attain worldly success, and puts forth effort toward this end: ambitious for social position. The enterprising person, interested especially in wealth, is characterized by energy and daring in undertaking projects. The aspiring person wishes to rise (mentally or spiritually) to a higher level or plane, or to attain some end above ordinary expectations.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ambitiousness

  • Ambitiousness in those olden days showed itself in momentary outburst; the ambitiousness of to-day runs riot.

    The Wisdom of Confucius|Epiphanius Wilson

  • But on top av my ambitiousness there was an empty place in my sowl, an' me own opinion av mesilf cud not fill ut.

    Soldier Stories|Rudyard Kipling

  • Nevertheless the lad wondered at the size and ambitiousness of this undertaking and accomplishment in the wilderness.

    The Secret Cache|E. C. [Ethel Claire] Brill

  • Well, I don't want to discourage your ambitiousness, but I guess you've struck Kilo about the worst time in the century.

    Kilo|Ellis Parker Butler

British Dictionary definitions for ambitiousness

ambitious

/ (æmˈbɪʃəs) /

adjective

having a strong desire for success or achievement; wanting power, money, etc
necessitating extraordinary effort or abilityan ambitious project
(often foll by of) having a great desire (for something or to do something)

Derived Forms

ambitiously, adverbambitiousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012