US /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ UK /æmˈbɪʃ.n̩/
noun verb Freq #5758

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    Something you very much want to do or achieve.

    My ambition is to own my own business one day.

  2. 2
    noun

    A strong desire to be successful, powerful, or famous.

    She has the talent and the ambition to reach the top.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · something you very much... aspirationgoaldream
2 noun · a strong desire to be... ambitiousnessdrive
Word family
Forms ambitions
Derived forms ambitionateambitionizeambitionlessnonambitionoverambitionunambitionunderambition
Related forms ambienceambientambitambitionistambitious

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts? Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰider. Proto-Italic *amβi Latin ambi- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti Proto-Italic *ejō Proto-Italic *eō Latin eō Latin ambiō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin ambitiōder. Old French ambitionbor. Middle English ambicioun English ambition From Middle English ambicioun, from Old French ambition, from Latin ambitiō (“ambition, a striving for favor, literally 'a going around', especially of candidates for office in Rome sol…

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