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

Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen created WildLand to help achieve his ambitious 200-year vision to rewild 220,000 acres in the Highlands. —Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026

Argentinian President Javier Milei’s popularity plunged to a new low, as rising unemployment and a burgeoning corruption scandal threatened his ambitious economic program and prospects for reelection next year. —Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026

In a country already running a third of global hydropower capacity, ambitious dam projects are breaking ground in China’s mountainous west, while the government has set its sights on pioneering next-generation technologies like nuclear fusion and green hydrogen. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026

But Apple is getting a new CEO in September, hardware engineer John Ternus, and his view on entertainment remains opaque, leading to anxiety in the halls of agencies that have had success selling ambitious projects to Apple over the last few years. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 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