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 of ambitious

• 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

As part of this ambitious austerity plan, his government is forcing a nearly 3% budget cut across all ministries. —ABC News, 3 June 2026

Presumably, a show calling Murray Hill glamorous will poke fun at the lives of the young, ambitious, and cheugy, but to what extent? —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 3 June 2026

That growth has been fueled by a tremendous influx of talent and capital, boosted by ambitious government initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, UAE 2031, and Oman Vision 2040. —Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 2 June 2026

Spurs tried to be ambitious in the transfer window last year but failed to complete deals for Antoine Semenyo, Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze. —Jay Harris, New York Times, 2 June 2026

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