ambitiousness

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /æmˈbɪʃəsnəs/ UK /amˈbɪʃəsnəs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the quality of having a strong desire for success or achievement

The sheer ambitiousness of the plan impressed and alarmed the board.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the quality of having a... ambition aspiration drive enterprise determination striving

Opposites

apathy laziness complacency indifference

Word family

Related forms ambitious ambitionambitiously

Etymology

From ambitious + -ness. Ambitious derives from Latin ambitiosus, from ambitio ('a going around, canvassing for votes'), from ambire ('to go around'), from ambi- ('around') + ire ('to go').

ambitio Latin ambire Latin ire Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# ambitiousness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /æmˈbɪʃəsnəs/
**IPA (UK):** /amˈbɪʃəsnəs/

## Meanings
1. the quality of having a strong desire for success or achievement

## Examples
- The sheer ambitiousness of the plan impressed and alarmed the board.

## Synonyms
- ambition
- aspiration
- drive
- enterprise
- determination
- striving

## Antonyms
- apathy
- laziness
- complacency
- indifference

## Related Forms
- ambitious
- ambition
- ambitiously

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ambitio
- Root: ambire
- Root: ire

## Etymology
From ambitious + -ness. Ambitious derives from Latin ambitiosus, from ambitio ('a going around, canvassing for votes'), from ambire ('to go around'), from ambi- ('around') + ire ('to go').

## AI Etymology
ambitiousness comes from ambitious + -ness. Ambitious derives from Latin ambitiosus, from ambitio ('a going around, canvassing for votes'), from ambire ('to go around'), from ambi- ('around') + ire ('to go'). Morphologically, the word is transparent: -ness is attached to the older base named in the history, so the modern form packages an inherited or borrowed stem inside a later English derivative. In modern use, the noun sense is "the quality of having a strong desire for success or achievement", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as ambitious, ambition, ambitiously, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Latin ambitio, Latin ambire, Latin ire, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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