ambitious

[am-bish-uhs]

adjective

1. 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

2. 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.

3. strongly desirous; eager.

   It is common for children to be ambitious of love and approval.

4. requiring exceptional effort, ability, etc..

   The candidate is proposing an ambitious program for eliminating all slums.

ambitious

/ æmˈbɪʃəs /

adjective

1. having a strong desire for success or achievement; wanting power, money, etc

2. necessitating extraordinary effort or ability

   an ambitious project

3. (often foll by of) having a great desire (for something or to do something)

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ambitious¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

We delivered an Elections Strategy which will mean 16 and 17 year olds getting the vote for the first time, as well as ambitious plans to ensure the most marginalised communities are registered to vote.

From BBC

They will be responsible for delivering the government's policy on housebuilding, one of its most ambitious and important commitments.

From BBC

The event was the brainchild of an ambitious Los Angeles–based lettuce farmer, Frank Takahashi.

From Los Angeles Times

Put simply, it is a recruitment drive that looks to have blown Liverpool's rivals out of the water, irrespective of the ambitious efforts of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.

From BBC

Experts say the levies threaten to leave lasting bruises on India's vibrant export sector, and its ambitious growth targets.

From BBC

Related Words

• arduous 
• bold 
• challenging 
• demanding 
• difficult 
• energetic 
• grandiose 
• impressive 
• visionary