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

Caroline, an ambitious rower with a darting gaze and mouthful of braces, is nervous about not making the team for an upcoming tournament in Boston. — Isabella Cueto, STAT, 13 Nov. 2026

Test Flight 15, the most ambitious Starship mission to date, was the first time Elon Musk's company attempted to catch both the booster and upper stage, or spacecraft portion, of the massive rocket. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2026

What’s unknown is the current state of his relationship with his wife, Lori Huang—and their ambitious plans for an arts organization that was set to bear their name. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 13 Nov. 2026

Start small, grow big Bluetti has been steadily expanding its portable power range, from relatively compact units like the AC180 to increasingly ambitious home-backup systems. — New Atlas, 12 Nov. 2026