ambitious

adjective

am·​bi·​tious am-ˈbi-shəs How to pronounce ambitious (audio)
Synonyms of ambitious
1
a
: having or controlled by ambition : having a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous
an ambitious young executive
b
: having a desire to achieve a particular goal : aspiring
ambitious for power
2
: resulting from, characterized by, or showing ambition
an ambitious film
ambitiously adverb
ambitiousness noun

Synonyms of ambitious

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Examples of ambitious in a Sentence

The company was created by two very ambitious young men in the early 1900s. This 500-page book is her most ambitious effort yet. Your plans for the future are very ambitious. It was too ambitious a task for just one person.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fielder played up a version of himself on the show, acting as a dumbly ambitious business school graduate, socially inept and desperately seeking connection. — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 The Justice Department aims to send poll monitors to all 50 states in the 2026 midterms, marking an ambitious expansion of a longstanding federal initiative aimed at ensuring election integrity. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2026 Tesla’s second-generation Roadster pairs ambitious performance hardware with a cockpit interface designed around driving data. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026 That is especially true in California where lawmakers in recent years have pushed through ambitious regulations in the face of strong opposition and lawsuit threats from companies. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ambitious

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ambicious "overweening, craving," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French ambicieus "striving for success, seeking glory," borrowed from Latin ambitiōsus "anxious to win favor, eager for advancement," from ambitiō "act of soliciting for votes, desire for advancement" + -ōsus -ous — more at ambition entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ambitious was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing ambitious

Rhymes for ambitious

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Browse Nearby Words

ambitionless
ambitious
ambitious for
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Cite this Entry

“Ambitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambitious. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

ambitious

adjective
am·​bi·​tious am-ˈbish-əs How to pronounce ambitious (audio)
1
: controlled by or having ambition
ambitious to be captain of the team
2
: showing ambition
an ambitious plan
ambitiously adverb
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