ambition
[noun]
Synonyms:
- enterprise, aspiration, desire, drive, eagerness, longing, striving, yearning, zeal
- goal, aim, aspiration, desire, dream, hope, intent, objective, purpose, wish

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Contrasted words: contentment, satisfaction, faineance, indolence, lethargy, sloth
Related Words: drive, go-ahead, push, anxiety, avidity, eagerness, keenness, energy, enterprise, spirit, goad, incentive, motive, spur, design, intent, purpose, desire, fancy, hope, wish, dream, ideal, nirvana

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English Thesaurus: aim, goal, target, objective, ambition, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

am‧bi‧tion W3 /æmˈbɪʃən/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: ambitio, from ambire; ⇒ ambient]

1. [countable] a strong desire to achieve something
an ambition to do something
She had always had an ambition to be a pilot.
sb’s ambitions of doing something
An injury ended his ambitions of becoming a professional footballer.

2. [uncountable] determination to be successful, rich, powerful etc:
He was young and full of ambition.

3. have no ambition to do something used when saying that you definitely do not want to do something:
I have no ambition to go back there again.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

ambition
noun
I. strong desire to be successful
ADJ. driving, great, naked She's a woman of driving ambition.
personal
VERB + AMBITION have He's got little ambition.
lack
AMBITION + VERB burn Ambition burned within her.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

ambition
II. sth you very much want to have/do
ADJ. big, burning, driving, great, high, main, overriding, ultimate Her biggest ambition was to climb Everest.
lifelong, life's, longstanding At last he had realized his life's ambition.
modest | personal | secret | youthful | frustrated, thwarted, unfulfilled This is a tale of jealousy and thwarted ambitions.
career, imperial/imperialist, literary, political, presidential, social, sporting, territorial
VERB + AMBITION cherish, harbour, have, nurture He had only one ambition in life.
abandon, give up | achieve, fulfil, realize | limit, restrain | frustrate, thwart He felt great resentment at having his ambition frustrated.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

ambition

sb’s ambition is to be/do something
My ambition was to be a journalist.
have an ambition
He had an ambition to be a top cello player.
achieve/fulfil/realize your ambition (=do what you wanted to do)
It took her ten years to achieve her ambition.
He was prepared to go to any lengths to fulfil his ambition.
I want to thank all those who made it possible for me to realize a lifetime 's ambition.
lack ambition/have no ambition
Many of the students lack ambition.
nurse/harbour/cherish an ambition (=have it for a long time, especially secretly)
He had nursed an ambition to become a writer for many years.
frustrate/thwart sb’s ambitions formal (=prevent someone from achieving them)
The weather threatened to frustrate their ambitions.
Her lifelong ambitions had been thwarted again and again.
sb’s main ambition
What’s your main ambition in life?
sb’s great ambition
He didn’t achieve his greatest ambition – to be Wimbledon Champion.
a lifelong/long-held ambition (=one that you have had all your life)
It’s been her lifelong ambition to work with horses.
a personal ambition
Crossing the Sahara was a personal ambition of mine.
a secret ambition
His secret ambition was to become a pilot.
a burning/driving ambition (=a very strong ambition)
She had a burning ambition to become a racing car driver.
career ambitions
The course is designed to help you achieve your career ambitions.
political/presidential ambitions
His political ambitions were put on hold while he waited for a suitable opportunity.
sb’s dreams and ambitions
He told her all about his dreams and ambitions.
sb’s lack of ambition
I was frustrated by their apparent lack of ambition.
be full of ambition
She was full of ambition when she joined the company.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

ambition
noun
1.
BAD: My immediate ambition is to find somewhere to live.
GOOD: My immediate aim is to find somewhere to live.

Usage Note:
ambition = something very important that you have wanted to do or achieve for a very long time: 'Sandro's one ambition is to play for Italy in the World Cup.'
aim = what you hope to achieve when you do something: 'The aim of the course is to develop the students' writing skills.'

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2.
BAD: Not many people manage to satisfy their ambitions.
GOOD: Not many people manage to achieve their ambitions.

Usage Note:
achieve your ambition (NOT satisfy, meet, reach, arrive, etc ): 'He has achieved his main ambition - to make a name for himself in politics.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

aim something you hope to achieve by doing something:
The main aim of the plan was to provide employment for local people.
goal something important that you hope to achieve in the future, even though it may take a long time:
The country can still achieve its goal of reducing poverty by a third.
target a particular amount or total that you want to achieve:
The company is on track to meet its target of increasing profits by 10%.
objective the specific thing that you are trying to achieve – used especially about things that have been officially discussed and agreed upon in business, politics etc:
Their main objective is to halt the flow of drugs.
We met to set the business objectives for the coming year.
ambition something that you very much want to achieve in your future career:
Her ambition was to go to law school and become an attorney.
Earlier this year, he achieved his ambition of competing in the Olympic Games.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dream something very special that you want to do and that you think about a lot, especially something that is not very likely to happen:
As a teenager, his dream was to become a professional footballer.
ambition something that you want to achieve and that you work hard to achieve, especially in your work:
My ambition had always been to start my own business.
aspirations the important things that people want from their lives – used especially about the things a society or a large group of people wants:
It’s important that young people think seriously about their career aspirations.
fantasy something exciting that you imagine happening to you, which is extremely unlikely to happen and often involves sex:
schoolboy fantasies
pipe dream a dream that is impossible or is extremely unlikely to happen:
Is world peace no more than a pipe dream?

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dream the thoughts, images, and feelings that go through your mind while you are asleep:
I had a strange dream last night -- you and I were in some sort of forest.
nightmare a very unpleasant and frightening dream:
She still has terrible nightmares about the accident.
daydream a series of pleasant thoughts that go through your mind when you are awake, so that you do not notice what is happening around you:
Neil was in a daydream, and didn’t hear the teacher call his name.
reverie formal a state of imagining or thinking about pleasant things, that is like dreaming:
The doorbell rang, shaking her from her reverie.
ambition something that you want to achieve and that you work hard to achieve, especially in your work:
My ambition had always been to start my own business.
aspirations the important things that people want from their lives – used especially about the things a society or a large group of people wants:
It’s important that young people think seriously about their career aspirations.
fantasy something exciting that you imagine happening to you, which is extremely unlikely to happen and often involves sex:
schoolboy fantasies
pipe dream a dream that is impossible or is extremely unlikely to happen:
Is world peace no more than a pipe dream?

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲