ambitious
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English ambitious < Old French *ambitios < Latin ambitiosus < ambitio; see ambition. Compare with French ambitieux.
[edit] Pronunciation
- (WEAE) IPA: /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/
- Audio (US)help, file
[edit] Adjective
ambitious (comparative more ambitious, superlative most ambitious)
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Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
- Possessing, or controlled by, ambition; greatly or inordinately desirous of power, honor, office, superiority, or distinction.
- 1891, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Man with the Twisted Lip,"
- As I grew richer I grew more ambitious, took a house in the country, and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion as to my real occupation.
- 1891, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Man with the Twisted Lip,"
- Strongly desirous—followed by "of" or the infinitive; as, ambitious to be or to do something.
- Springing from, characterized by, or indicating, ambition; showy; aspiring.
- an ambitious style
[edit] Usage notes
- Said of people, projects, plans, goals, etc.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
possessing, or controlled by, ambition
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strongly desirous
showy
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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[edit] References
- “ambitious” in An American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, 1828.
- ambitious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- “ambitious” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
- "ambitious" in Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2007 Microsoft Corporation.
- "ambitious" in the Wordsmyth Dictionary-Thesaurus © Wordsmyth 2002.
- "ambitious" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press 2007.
- "ambitious" in Compact Oxford English Dictionary, © Oxford University Press, 2007.