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

There are ambitious plans for the development of the stadium, with a planning meeting expected to be held on September 16, which should hopefully see those plans take a significant step forward. — Paul Taylor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Wonder will perform the album in its entirety at each show — an ambitious endeavor for a double LP with 17 tracks and a nearly 90-minute run time. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026

The movie progresses in ambitious, even political directions — Closing Night is no ordinary, outrageous family drama. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Weaning units off of state coffers has become more urgent given the slow uptick of FDI and runaway spending or over ambitious plans at several PIF companies. — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 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