ambition

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Definitions (12)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun An eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power.
  2. noun The object or goal desired: Her ambition is the presidency.
  3. noun Desire for exertion or activity; energy: had no ambition to go dancing.

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Examples

  • In our earlier meetings, after Pierce had begun to come forward in public life, I could discern that his ambition was aroused. —  Sketches and Studies
  • My restless, ambitious temper, so different from dear sister's, craves high duties and high attainments, and I have at times thought that this ambition was a motive to me to do my duty and submit my will. —  The Grimke Sisters
  • In politics, as in every other pursuit, his ambition was to be among the first; nor would it have been from the want of a due appreciation of all that is noblest and most disinterested in patriotism, that he would ever have stooped his flight to any less worthy aim. —  Life of Lord Byron
  • Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII had similarly aimed at founding dynasties in Romagna for their families, but, lacking the talents and political acuteness of Alexander and a son of the mettle and capacity of Cesare Borgia, the feeble trail of their ambition is apt to escape attention. —  The Life of Cesare Borgia
  • However, as my ambition was to be a Seaman, it was always held out as a reward, that if I attended well to my navigation, I should go in the cutter and decked long-boat, which was attached to the Commanding officer's ship at Chatham. —  The Life of Nelson
 

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

pride ·  desire ·  jealousy ·  vanity ·  aspiration ·  courage ·  enthusiasm ·  greed ·  imagination ·  hope ·  genius ·  impulse
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English ambicioun, excessive desire for honor, power, or wealth, from Old French ambition, from Latin ambitiō, ambitiōn-, from ambitus, past participle of ambīre, to go around (for votes); see ambient.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English ambicion, -cioun, from Old French (and F.) ambition = Spanish ambicion = Portuguese ambição = Italian ambizione, from Latin ambitio(n-), ambition, a striving for favor, literally a going about, as of a candidate soliciting votes, from ambire, past participle ambitus, go about, solicit votes: see ambient.
  2. From the noun.
 

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/æmˈbɪʃən/
by American Heritage

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