1
as in aspiration
eager desire for personal advancement
"Talent without ambition will not make you a star," the singer's voice coach liked to remind her
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in initiative
readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity
the ambition shown by the undersea explorers of the Mariana Trench, the deepest in the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in goal
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
his ambition is to study international business, then get a job overseas
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ambition
Knowledge, free to the public, cannot coexist with the ambitions of terrorists.
—
Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Expansion into luxury malls in Hong Kong, Macao and Singapore reflects Edition’s regional ambitions, with plans to bring the concept to more international markets in the years ahead.
—Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2025
Erik Poppe is one of the most distinctive voices in Scandinavian cinema, and this new film underscores his ambition and artistry.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
The surrounding limestone peaks of the Canadian Rockies scrape the sky, tempered in their reach by glaciers capping their lofty ambitions.
—Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ambition
Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Expansion into luxury malls in Hong Kong, Macao and Singapore reflects Edition’s regional ambitions, with plans to bring the concept to more international markets in the years ahead.
—Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2025
Erik Poppe is one of the most distinctive voices in Scandinavian cinema, and this new film underscores his ambition and artistry.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
The surrounding limestone peaks of the Canadian Rockies scrape the sky, tempered in their reach by glaciers capping their lofty ambitions.
—Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ambition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambition
Noun
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Some had aspirations to move back up the pyramid, while others were content with making extra money on the side of their full-time jobs.—
Nnamdi Onyeagwara,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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The Knicks are entering this season with high championship aspirations, while the Bucks hope to avoid the play-in tournament and being part of the lowly Eastern Conference.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hidalgo-Monroy Wohlgemuth argues that, even with initiatives that offer farmers a livable income and pricing stability, such fair trade agreements aren’t a catch-all solution for rural livelihood development.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Oct. 2025
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The festival also spotlights the next generation of homegrown talent through initiatives like FANN, Sharjah’s youth media academy dedicated to nurturing young creators across film, photography and digital arts.—
Essie Assibu,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Last season, in Game 5 of the Panthers’ second-round series against Toronto, Boqvist finished with a goal and an assist with Rodrigues injured and played alongside Barkov and Sam Reinhart on Florida’s top line after moving up from his usual spot on the fourth line.—
Andre Fernandez,
Miami Herald,
8 Oct. 2025
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After a recent Rangers’ preseason game, Sullivan was shown a video clip of the goal.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Loosely based on the life of ping-pong great Marty Reisman, the film stars Timothée Chalamet as the fictional Marty Mauser, a table tennis wiz coming up in 1950s New York City with the hyper-determination to become a world champion.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
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Bichette was ruled out for the ongoing series against the Yankees and the team has yet to reveal an official determination for any potential future playoff rounds.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The committee’s action is not final until its meeting concludes Wednesday, according an NCAA release.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Oct. 2025
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The department’s actions and policies reflect a disdain for public schools and a desire to dismantle that system in favor of a range of other options — private, Christian and virtual schools or homeschooling.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described.—
David McMillin,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
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Each piece was weathered and color-coded to signal hierarchy and purpose, grounding the film’s grand concept of a migrating Earth into reality.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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No throwback footage was needed as motivation on Sunday; only clips of their opponent.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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And so that was the real motivation.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Seattle’s shockingly inept defense would have been a secondary storyline rather than the headline had quarterback Sam Darnold and the offense capped off their best performance of the year with a second consecutive game-winning drive.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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One of drive, skill, and physicality, and the two midfielders both possess the engine to return to their defensive positions quickly when needed.—
James Nalton,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Ambition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambition. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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