Synonyms of ambitious

ambitious

adjective

am-ˈbi-shəs 

1

as in aspiring

having a strong desire for personal advancement

an ambitious child actor and his even more ambitious mother, who will do anything to get him in commercials

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aspiring
• energetic
• ardent
• eager
• diligent
• hard-driving
• aggressive
• motivated
• go-getting
• dynamic
• pushing
• industrious
• self-seeking
• enterprising
• hungry
• avid
• spirited
• venturesome
• determined
• competitive
• scrappy
• impassioned
• vigorous
• overambitious
• opportunistic
• animated
• venturous
• hustling
• lively
• assertive
• driving
• pretentious
• pushy
• competing
• rival
• gung ho
• high-flying
• keen
• rivalrous
• raring
• self-assertive

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unambitious
• disinterested
• indifferent
• uninterested
• apathetic
• unenthusiastic
• casual
• unexcited
• easygoing
• ambitionless
• lackadaisical
• lazy
• halfhearted
• tepid
• lukewarm
• sluggish
• lethargic
• shiftless
• listless
• uneager
• spiritless
• unassertive
• lazyish
• unaggressive

2

as in aggressive

having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal

cleaning up the vacant lot in one weekend was an ambitious undertaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aggressive
• adventurous
• fierce
• enterprising
• vigorous
• militant
• energetic
• assertive
• confident
• high-pressure
• in-your-face
• daring
• pushy
• go-getting
• self-assertive
• bold
• dynamic
• overambitious
• warlike
• pugnacious
• belligerent
• combative
• bellicose
• contentious
• self-asserting
• strenuous
• determined
• quarrelsome
• truculent
• adventuresome
• emphatic
• audacious
• impudent
• argumentative
• venturous
• gutsy
• hustling
• disputatious
• domineering
• venturesome
• gladiatorial
• bumptious
• insolent
• feisty
• cocky
• cheeky
• obtrusive
• trigger-happy
• unapologetic
• overconfident
• hyperaggressive
• brassy
• emboldened
• dashing
• presumptuous
• gung ho
• discordant
• brash
• scrappy
• cocksure
• overbearing
• forward
• dominating
• unyielding
• magisterial
• imperious
• unsubdued
• bare-knuckle
• lordly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unambitious
• low-pressure
• unassertive
• unaggressive
• easygoing
• relaxed
• nonassertive
• amenable
• compliant
• docile
• tractable
• ambitionless
• deferential
• submissive
• unenterprising
• modest
• timid
• passive
• acquiescent
• humble
• mild
• yielding
• resigned
• quiet
• shrinking
• shy
• laid-back
• subdued
• meek
• unobtrusive
• bashful
• diffident
• lowly
• reserved
• retiring
• servile
• mousy
• demure
• obsequious
• subservient
• slavish
• cringing
• groveling
• overmodest
• cowering

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ambitious

In Chengdu, the project involved an ambitious underground space; in Wuhan, China, the task was to work with an existing building. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026

As Godard portrayed it, the Greek epic was almost fated to attract and stump the most ambitious directors of our time, something that The New Yorker recently explored on the eve of Christopher Nolan’s adaptation. — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Watch On Aimless but charming Lloyd (John Cusack) falls for the ambitious Diane (Ione Skye) as the end of high school draws near in this hilarious but also poignant film. — David Faris, TheWeek, 29 Oct. 2026

Organizers say the partnership will give galleries more room to show ambitious work while bringing the international art market into closer contact with students, academics, and the city’s cultural community. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 29 Oct. 2026