DictionaryAI

ambition

am-BISH-uhn/æmˈbɪʃ.ən/

Pluralambitions

Verbambitions, ambitioning, ambitioned

6 meanings of ambition

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable or uncountable
    A strong wish to gain success, power, fame, or honor and to stand out from others.

    Like a fire inside you that makes you want to win and be the best.

    Her ambition pushed her to study harder than anyone else.

    He had the ambition to become a famous singer.

    Similaraspiration, desire, hunger, thirst

    Note
  2. 2
    noununcountable
    The drive to work hard and do well, even without one clear goal.

    Like an engine inside you that keeps you moving forward.

    She has real ambition and always looks for new challenges.

    His ambition keeps him going even when work gets hard.

    Similardrive, motivation, determination, initiative, enterprise

    Oppositeapathy, complacency, laziness

  3. 3
    nouncountable
    A thing you really want to achieve or have one day.

    Like a goal you dream about and hope to reach one day.

    Owning a small farm had always been her greatest ambition.

    Becoming a doctor was his lifelong ambition.

    Similargoal, aim, dream, aspiration, objective

    Note
  4. 4
    nouncountable or uncountable
    A wish for someone else to gain success, power, fame, or honor.

    Like a parent hoping their child grows up to be a big success.

    Her ambition for her children was that they would go to college.

    His ambition for the team was a national championship.

    Similaraspiration, hope

  5. 5
    verbtransitive
    To want something very much and try hard to get it.

    Like reaching hard for a prize you really want to win.

    Young officers often ambition glory on the battlefield.

    She ambitions the highest office in the land.

    Similarcovet, seek, crave, desire

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 6
    nounobsoletecountable or uncountable
    The act of going around to ask people for support to win a public office.
    Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Latin ambitiō, which meant a striving for favor and literally 'a going around', especially of candidates in Rome seeking votes. English took it through Old French ambition.