Vocabulary in context
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Ambition
A strong desire to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work; a drive for success, power, or distinction.
noun💡
Imagine This
Picture a determined inventor in a cluttered garage, sketching plans by a flickering light, saving every penny, relentlessly pursuing a breakthrough that could change the world.
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Sounds Like
am-BIH-shun
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Looks Like
ambitious
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Remember This
Ambition is often linked to future goals and motivation; it can inspire achievement but may also lead to negative consequences if pursued without ethics or balance.
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Other Forms
ambitionsnoun
ambitiousadjective
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Connect With
aspiration, drive, determination, goal, dream, vision
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Note
Use with care: 'ambition' is a noun (the drive) and is not interchangeable with 'ambitious' (an adjective) or 'ambition' used in the phrase 'ambitious plans' vs 'ambition' itself. Also, avoid conflating with mere wishful thinking; true ambition implies sustained effort.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- Her ambition to become a surgeon fueled years of study and sacrifice.
- The entrepreneur's ambition transformed a small startup into a global company.
Synonyms
aspirationdrivegoaldreamvision
Antonyms
apathycomplacencyinertia
Etymology
From Latin ambitio 'a going around, canvassing', from ambitus 'around, circuit', from ambire 'to go around'.
Mnemonic
Ambition expands your ambit.
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Brevity
nounThe quality of being brief or concise; shortness of duration or expression.
Anticipate
verbTo expect something and act in preparation for it; to foresee a likely outcome and take appropriate steps in advance.
Indeterminate
adjectiveNot fixed or known; not able to be precisely determined or defined.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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