ambition, aspiration, pretension mean strong desire for advancement. ambition applies to the desire for personal advancement or preferment and may suggest equally a praiseworthy or an inordinate desire. aspiration implies a striving after something higher than oneself.

Understanding the Context

Ambition is a strong desire to achieve. It's what Macbeth had too much of, and what slackers have too little of. If a person has ambition, the goal is usually wealth, power, or fame. This Middle English word is derived from Latin ambitiō, from ambīre "to go around or about." AMBITION definition: 1.

Key Insights

a strong wish to achieve something: 2. a strong wish to be successful, powerful, rich, etc…. Learn more. Definition of ambition noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Final Thoughts

An eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power. b. The object or goal desired: Her ambition is the presidency. 2. Desire for exertion or activity; energy: had no ambition to go dancing. Ambition is the desire to be successful, rich, or powerful.

Even when I was young I never had any ambition. ...a mixture of ambition and ruthlessness. ambition (third-person singular simple present ambitions, present participle ambitioning, simple past and past participle ambitioned) To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet. With her talent and fierce ambition [=her very strong desire to succeed], she became a very successful actress.