Meaning & use
ambitious
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having a strong desire to achieve success, power, or a difficult goal.
Grammar: Used to describe people or their actions; can be followed by 'to' + verb, as in 'ambitious to succeed'.
Patterns
- ambitious to do something
- ambitious for someone
- highly ambitious
She is an ambitious young lawyer who hopes to become a judge one day.
He was ambitious to start his own company before he turned thirty.
The parents were ambitious for their children and encouraged them to aim high.
adjectivecomparable
Describing a plan or idea that is bold, challenging, and requires great effort.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'an ambitious project'.
Patterns
- an ambitious plan
- an ambitious project
- highly ambitious
The city announced an ambitious plan to plant a million trees in five years.
Rebuilding the bridge in six months was an ambitious goal, but they finished on time.
Her thesis was ambitious, covering three centuries of art history.
Word forms
| comparative | more ambitious |
|---|---|
| superlative | most ambitious |
Common combinations
- highly ambitious
- The young athlete is highly ambitious and trains every morning.
- ambitious plan
- The government's ambitious plan to reduce pollution will take years.
- ambitious for someone
- His teachers were ambitious for him and pushed him to apply to top universities.
- ambitious to do something
- She is ambitious to lead the department within five years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aspiring
- This means hoping to become something, like an aspiring actor; 'ambitious' focuses more on the drive to succeed.
- driven
- This emphasizes strong inner motivation; 'ambitious' can also describe plans, not just people.
- enterprising
- This suggests being resourceful and ready to start new projects; 'ambitious' is broader and can mean simply wanting success.
Opposites
Word family
- ambition noun
- A strong desire to achieve something.
- ambitiously adverb
- In a way that shows a strong desire for success.
- unambitious adjective
- Not having a strong desire for success.
Commonly confused: ambitious or ambiguous?
ambitious vs ambiguous
This means having more than one possible meaning; it sounds similar but is not related to wanting success.
Practice
She is ___ to become the youngest manager in the company's history.
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'ambitious' describes the person and is followed by 'to' + verb. 'Ambition' is a noun, 'ambitiously' is an adverb, and 'ambiguously' means unclearly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ambitious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.