ambition
n. C / Un. a strong desire to achieve something, like success, power, or wealth. It is the drive that makes you work hard to reach your goals.
n. a strong desire to achieve a particular end, typically requiring hard work and determination. The term encompasses both the general drive for success and the specific goals being pursued.
Her main ambition is to become a successful doctor.
Despite his lack of experience, his ambition drove him to start his own tech company right after graduation.
The novel explores the destructive nature of unchecked ambition, illustrating how the protagonist's relentless pursuit of power ultimately alienates him from his closest allies.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts? Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰider. Proto-Italic *amβi Latin ambi- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti Proto-Italic *ejō Proto-Italic *eō Latin eō Latin ambiō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin ambitiōder. Old French ambitionbor. Middle English ambicioun English ambition From Middle English ambicioun, from Old French ambition, from Latin ambitiō (“ambition, a striving for favor, literally 'a going around', especially of candidates for office in Rome soliciting votes”), from ambiō (“I go around, solicit votes”). See ambient, issue.
Uncountable when referring to the general trait, but countable when denoting a specific goal; frequently followed by an infinitive phrase or the preposition 'for'.