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 Words From

• am·bition·less adjective
• am·bition·less·ly adverb
• pream·bition noun
• super·am·bition 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

"Aspects of this legislation risks suffocating the very thing that makes English football so unique, the aspiration that allows clubs to rise and succeed in our pyramid system. The ambition that means fans can dream," she said.

From BBC

SNP MSP Emma Roddick called for the party's Westminster leader to rethink his ambition to hold two seats seats.

From BBC

Another senior party figure described Flynn's move as "naked ambition".

From BBC

It comes after the party's Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, announced his ambition to stand in the 2026 Holyrood election.

From BBC

“All year we have celebrated fiction that inhabits ideas rather than declaiming on issues, not finding answers but changing the question of what we wanted to explore. Our unanimity about Orbital recognises its beauty and ambition. It reflects Harvey’s extraordinary intensity of attention to the precious and precarious world we share.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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