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

Millions of Americans who previously filed their taxes at no cost are facing new expenses this year after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officially ended its Direct File program, scaling back the government's most ambitious effort to offer free, in‑house tax filing. —Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026

Mars may try to push you into making an overly ambitious to-do list, so be sure to let the Moon in that more peaceful sector remind you to take a break! —Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026

New Delhi — One of India’s most ambitious aviation projects, touted to be among the largest in South Asia, has been inaugurated more than four years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially kicked off the project. —Aishwarya S Iyer, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026

This will include everything from simply great hours of stand-up to inventive or wildly ambitious offerings that are big swings but may or may not completely hit the mark. —Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 30 Mar. 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