ambitious

adjective

am-ˈbi-shəs How to pronounce ambitious (audio)
Definition of ambitiousnext
1
as in aspiring
having a strong desire for personal advancement an ambitious child actor and his even more ambitious mother, who will do anything to get him in commercials

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in aggressive
having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal cleaning up the vacant lot in one weekend was an ambitious undertaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ambitious But Brolin and creator Brian Watkins’ take on the subgenre was easily the most interesting and ambitious of the bunch. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026 The state already met the climate change legislation’s ambitious target — returning emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 — four years ahead of schedule. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Recruiting an ambitious protégé, a loyal driver, and a growing network of eccentric partners, Lee transforms small hustles into big business. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026 Anthropic's ambitious training initiative has yet to demonstrate measurable results. — Barbara Booth, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ambitious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambitious
  1. aspiring
  2. aggressive
  3. adventurous
Adjective
  • Jennifer Peedom first visited the Himalayas over 20 years ago as an aspiring filmmaker, tagging along with a friend who was working on an Everest expedition.
    — Tamara Southward, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026
  • How Victoria’s Secret Is Choosing Its Next Angel The search began in April, when Victoria’s Secret announced an open casting call for aspiring models.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of aspiring
Adjective
  • While Chelsea tend to retreat after taking the lead, their opponents also become more aggressive in response, committing extra bodies forward and helping to create more open, end-to-end encounters.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The acquisition comes after the distributor’s founder and then-CEO, Andrew Karpen, died from an aggressive form of brain cancer at the age of 59 in May 2025.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Anita recalled her grandson’s adventurous upbringing and his relationship with God.
    — Marisela Cruz, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This gift box contains eight bars, spanning from 58 to 80% cacao, in flavors like banana foster and green tea crunch for the adventurous and pink sea salt or pure cacao, dates, and vanilla for the purists.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of adventurous

Browse Nearby Words

ambitions
ambitious
ambitiousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ambitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambitious. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All