Ambitious

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /æmˈbɪʃ.É™s/

Origin

From Middle English ambitious, from Old French *ambitieus, from Latin ambitiosus, from ambitio; see ambition. Compare with French ambitieux.

Full definition of ambitious

Adjective

1. Possessing, or controlled by ambition; greatly or inordinately desirous of power, honor, office, superiority, or distinction.
• 1891, Arthur_Conan_Doyle, "The Man with the Twisted Lip,"As I grew richer I grew more ambitious, took a house in the country, and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion as to my real occupation.
2. Strongly desirous—followed by "of" or the infinitive; as, ambitious to be or to do something.
3. Springing from, characterized by, or indicating, ambition; showy; aspiring.
   an ambitious style
4. Hard to achieve.
• 2013-06-01, Ideas coming down the track, A “moving platform” scheme...is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays. This set-up solves several problems .... Stopping high-speed trains wastes energy and time, so why not simply slow them down enough for a moving platform to pull alongside?

Usage notes

Said of people, projects, plans, goals, etc.

Derived terms

• ambitiously
• ambitiousness
• overambitious

Related terms

• ambition