English Reference
adjective

ambitious

adj.
US /æmˈbɪʃəs/ UK /æmbˈɪʃəs/ am·bi·tious

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate

    having a strong desire to be successful, powerful, or famous.

    possessing or exhibiting a strong desire for success, power, or social status.

    Simple

    She is an ambitious lawyer who hopes to become a judge one day.

    In context

    The company is looking for ambitious graduates who are eager to climb the corporate ladder and take on leadership roles early in their careers.

    lazyunambitious
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    describing a plan or goal that needs a lot of effort and is hard to finish.

    requiring exceptional effort, skill, or resources to be successful; high in scope or difficulty.

    Simple

    The government has an ambitious plan to build ten new hospitals by next year.

    In context

    The architect's ambitious design for the skyscraper pushed the limits of modern engineering and required materials that had never been used on such a scale.

Usage ambitious plans


From Middle English ambitious, from Middle French ambitieus, from Latin ambitiosus, from ambitio; see ambition. Compare with French ambitieux.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin ambitiosus
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated