ambitious
Americanadjective
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having ambition; eagerly desirous of achieving or obtaining success, power, wealth, a specific goal, etc..
The school is known for its ambitious students.
- Antonyms:
- lackadaisical, apathetic
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showing or caused by ambition or an earnest desire for achievement or distinction.
This season saw an ambitious attempt to break the record for number of wins in a single season.
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strongly desirous; eager.
It is common for children to be ambitious of love and approval.
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requiring exceptional effort, ability, etc..
The candidate is proposing an ambitious program for eliminating all slums.
adjective
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having a strong desire for success or achievement; wanting power, money, etc
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necessitating extraordinary effort or ability
an ambitious project
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(often foll by of) having a great desire (for something or to do something)
Related Words
Ambitious, aspiring, enterprising describe a person who wishes to rise above their 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.
Other Word Forms
- ambitiously adverb
- ambitiousness noun
- nonambitious adjective
- nonambitiously adverb
- nonambitiousness noun
- overambitious adjective
- overambitiously adverb
- overambitiousness noun
- unambitious adjective
- unambitiously adverb
- unambitiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of ambitious
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin ambitiōsus, equivalent to ambiti(ō) ambition + -ōsus -ous
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.
The grant also supported an ambitious effort to bring the wild descendants of McCloud salmon back to California from New Zealand.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
Indeed, the Iranian regime has announced very ambitious plans for the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
The new series will explore the aftermath of World War Two on the city as it follows the "older, wiser, more ambitious and more dangerous" Duke.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
"I am not in favour of an ambitious industrial project that will serve our armed forces being co-managed. We need a leader."
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Gauguin is quite ambitious, and he has agreed to make Theo his sole art representative, sending him at least twenty paintings.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
