AMBITION Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'ambition' different from other nouns like it?

The words aspiration and pretension are common synonyms of ambition . While all three words 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. // driven by ambition

Q: When would 'aspiration' be a good substitute for 'ambition'?

Although the words aspiration and ambition have much in common, aspiration implies a striving after something higher than oneself. // an aspiration to become president someday

Q: In what contexts can 'pretension' take the place of 'ambition'?

In some situations, the words pretension and ambition are roughly equivalent. However, pretension suggests ardent desire for recognition of accomplishment often without actual possession of the necessary ability and therefore may imply presumption. // has literary pretensions

ambition

noun

am-ˈbi-shən

Definition of ambition next

as in aspiration

eager desire for personal advancement "Talent without ambition will not make you a star," the singer's voice coach liked to remind her

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in initiative

readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity the ambition shown by the undersea explorers of the Mariana Trench, the deepest in the world

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as in goal

something that one hopes or intends to accomplish his ambition is to study international business, then get a job overseas

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word ambition different from other nouns like it?

The words aspiration and pretension are common synonyms of ambition. While all three words 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.

driven by ambition

When would aspiration be a good substitute for ambition?

Although the words aspiration and ambition have much in common, aspiration implies a striving after something higher than oneself.

an aspiration to become president someday

In what contexts can pretension take the place of ambition?

In some situations, the words pretension and ambition are roughly equivalent. However, pretension suggests ardent desire for recognition of accomplishment often without actual possession of the necessary ability and therefore may imply presumption.

has literary pretensions

Examples 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 ambition Those ambitions look more real after Thursday’s debut. —

Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 16 Jan. 2025 Instead, the company is planning to refocus employees on the video ambitions of titles like The Sun, which is behind online politics show Never Mind The Ballots. —

Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025 From the December 2020 issue: The last children of Down syndrome Even if the science does catch up to the ambitions of companies like Genomic Prediction, genetics will never guarantee a child a healthy life. —

Kristen V. Brown, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2025 What you’re ultimately left with is the typical catch-and-release horror template that occasionally sags under the weight of its own ambitions, as well as one that, having exhausted the idea’s potential early on, simply limps to the finish line. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for ambition

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambition

Noun

Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business who follows the auto industry, said Biden’s 2021 order was a signal of EV aspirations while Trump’s revocation is a signal of EV realities.

— Eric D. Lawrence, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025
Yep, the Hornets, a Big Sky program with Pac-12 aspirations, are ranked in the top 40 under new head coach Brennan Marion.

— Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025