ambitious

adjective

am·​bi·​tious am-ˈbi-shəs 

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

• aspiring

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

There are a lot of extremely small, well-funded, and ambitious businesses out there. —Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025

Rice University, a private Tier 1 research institution in Houston, is launching an ambitious plan to grow student enrollment and financial aid, as part of a strategic expansion approved by the school's board of trustees to focus on opportunity and academic excellence, officials announced Monday. —Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

Major casualties included a pioneering Tex-Mex spot in Clifton, a beloved Hungarian restaurant in Union Township and two ambitious Northern Kentucky restaurants that were less than two years old. —Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 30 July 2025

The private company has reshaped the modern space with reusable rockets, ambitious missions, and bold visions of colonizing Mars. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 29 July 2025

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

Phrases Containing ambitious

• ambitious for

Rhymes for ambitious

• adventitious
• cementitious
• expeditious
• inauspicious
• injudicious
• meretricious
• repetitious
• superstitious
• surreptitious
• unambitious
• unpropitious
• unsuspicious

Kids Definition

ambitious

adjective

am·​bi·​tious am-ˈbish-əs 

1

: controlled by or having ambition

ambitious to be captain of the team

2

: showing ambition

an ambitious plan

ambitiously adverb