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 Word Forms

• ambitionless adjective
• ambitionlessly adverb
• preambition noun
• superambition 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

Moving clear of Australia's Margaret Court in terms of Grand Slam titles is the biggest ambition left in his mind.

From BBC

Having his legs amputated was a long-standing ambition for Hopper, the court was told.

From BBC

For the individuals involved - with ambitions met or punctured - the overlooked, demoted or sacked almost always outnumber the elevated, smiling and promoted.

From BBC

I hoped to see more ambition over the summer to prepare them for Champions League football, especially when you look at the business done by other clubs around them.

From BBC

Still, they supported her ambitions, schlepping her to and from auditions and performances, and their creative natures helped her to see that a career in the arts “wasn’t off-limits,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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