ambition

am·bi·tion  (m-bshn)

n.

1.

a. An eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power.

b. The object or goal desired: Her ambition is the presidency.

2. Desire for exertion or activity; energy: had no ambition to go dancing.

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[Middle English ambicioun, excessive desire for honor, power, or wealth, from Old French ambition, from Latin ambiti, ambitin-, from ambitus, past participle of ambre, to go around (for votes); see ambient.]

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ambition [æmˈbɪʃən]

n

1. strong desire for success, achievement, or distinction

2. something so desired; goal; aim

[from Old French, from Latin ambitiō a going round (of candidates), a striving to please, from ambīre to go round; see ambit]

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Ambition 

1. Ambition … coursed like blood through her —Vita Sackville-West
2. [One woman’s] ambition expanded like yeast —Rita Mae Brown
3. Ambition is as hollow as the soul of an echo —Anon
4. Ambition is a sort of work —Kahlil Gibran
5. Ambition is like a treadmill … you no sooner get to the end of it than you begin again —Josh Billings
6. Ambition is like hunger; it obeys no law but its appetite —Josh Billings
7. Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals —Sir John Denham
8. Ambition is like the sea wave, which the more you drink the more you thirst —Alfred, Lord Tennyson
9. Ambition, like a torrent, never looks back —Ben Jonson
10. Ambitions thin with age —James Goldman
11. Ambitious as the devil —Francis Beaumont
12. As ambitious as Lady MacBeth —James Huneker
13. Aspirations prancing like an elephant in a skirmish —Frank O’Hara
14. Good intentions … like very mellow and choice fruit, they are difficult to keep —G. Simmons
15. How like a mounting devil in the heart rules the unrestrained ambition! —N. P. Willis
    The word ‘ unrestrained’ has been substituted for ‘unrein’d.’
16. A man without ambition is like a woman without beauty —Frank Harris
17. Overambitious … like a musician trying to play every instrument in the band —Anon
18. (I think of) that ambition of his like some sort of little engine tick, tick, ticking away, and never stopping —Gore Vidal about Abraham Lincoln
19. To reach the height of ambition is like trying to reach the rainbow; as we advance it recedes —William Talbot Burke
20. Zeal without knowledge is like an expedition to a man in the dark —John Newton

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	ambition - a cherished desire; "his ambition is to own his own business" aspiration, dream desire - the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state American Dream - the widespread aspiration of Americans to live better than their parents did emulation - ambition to equal or excel nationalism - the aspiration for national independence felt by people under foreign domination
	2.	ambition - a strong drive for success           ambitiousness drive - the trait of being highly motivated; "his drive and energy exhausted his co-workers" aspiration - a will to succeed power hunger, status seeking - a drive to acquire power
Verb	1.	ambition - have as one's ambition               desire, want - feel or have a desire for; want strongly; "I want to go home now"; "I want my own room"

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ambition

noun

1. goal, end, hope, design, dream, target, aim, wish, purpose, desire, intention, objective, intent, aspiration, Holy Grail (informal) His ambition is to sail round the world.

2. enterprise, longing, drive, fire, spirit, desire, passion, enthusiasm, warmth, striving, initiative, aspiration, yearning, devotion, zeal, verve, zest, fervour, eagerness, gusto, hankering, get-up-and-go (informal), ardour, keenness, avidity, fervency a mixture of ambition and ruthlessness

Quotations
"Ambition is the growth of every clime" [William Blake King Edward the Third]
"Well is it known that ambition can creep as well as soar" [Edmund Burke Letters on a Regicide Peace]
"Ambition, in a private man a vice,"
"Is in a prince the virtue" [Philip Massinger The Bashful Lover]
"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition" [James Madison The Federalist Papers]

Proverbs
"Every eel hopes to become a whale"

Translations

ambition [æmˈbɪʃ^ən] n

(= aim, goal) → ambition f
an ambition to do sth → l'ambition de faire qch
to have an ambition to do sth → avoir l'ambition de faire qch
to achieve one's ambition → concrétiser ses aspirations
to have presidential ambitions → avoir des ambitions présidentielles
to have territorial ambitions → avoir des ambitions territoriales

(= desire) → ambition f

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ambition

n

(= desire) → Ambition f; she has ambitions in that direction/for her son → sie hat Ambitionen in dieser Richtung/ehrgeizige Pläne für ihren Sohn; my one or big ambition in life is … → meine große Ambition ist es, …; my ambition is to become prime minister/to fly to the moon → es ist mein Ehrgeiz or Ziel or meine Ambition, Premierminister zu werden/zum Mond zu reisen; it was never my ambition to take over your job → es war nie mein Bestreben or meine Absicht, Ihre Stelle zu übernehmen

(= ambitious nature) → Ehrgeiz m

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ambition [æmˈbɪʃ/ən] n → ambizione f, aspirazione f
he has no ambition → non ha nessuna ambizione
to achieve one's ambition → realizzare le proprie aspirazioni or ambizioni

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ambition

n ambition [ӕmˈbiʃən]

1 the desire for success, fame, power etc He is full of ambition and energy. ambisie طُموح амбиция ambice ambition; ærgærrighed der Ehrgeiz φιλοδοξία ambición auahnus بلند همتی؛ سخت کوشی kunnianhimo ambition שְׁאִיפָה महत्वाकांक्षा ambicija becsvágy ambisi metnaður ambizione 大望 야망 garbės troškimas godkāre cita-cita eerzucht ærgjerrighet, ambisjon ambicja ambição ambiţie амбиция ambícia, ctižiadosť ambicija ambicija ärelystnad, ambition ความทะเยอทะยาน hırs, tutku 雄心 честолюбство, амбіція عزم khát vọng 雄心

2 the desire eventually to become or do something special His ambition is to be Prime Minister. ambisie طُموح، مُطْمِح цел cíl ambition die Ambition φιλοδοξία ambición au-ahne taotlus بلندپروازی؛ جاه طلبی tavoite ambition שְׁאַפתָנוּת ambicija törekvés ambisi metnaður, takmark ambizione 野心 야망의 목표(대상) siekis, troškimas centieni; mērķi cita-cita ambitie ambisjon ambicja ambição dorinţă стремление cieľ tiha želja cilj strävan, ambition ความปรารถนาอันแรงกล้า arzu 抱負 прагнення, мета اوالعزمی tham vọng 抱负

adj amˈbitious

He is very ambitious; That plan is too ambitious. ambisieus طَموح амбициозен ambiciózní; náročný ambitiøs ehrgeizig φιλόδοξος ambicioso auahne بلندپرواز؛ مستلزم کوشش و تلاش بسیار kunnianhimoinen ambitieux שְׁאַפתָנִי महत्वाकांक्षी ambiciozan ambiciózus, nagyra törő ambisius metnaðargjarn ambizioso 野心的な 야심적인 siekiantis/trokštantis garbės/valdžios, ambicingas, pretenzingas godkārīgs tinggi ambitieus ærgjerrig, ambisiøs, krevende ambitny ambicioso ambiţios амбициозный ctižiadostivý; náročný ambiciozen ambiciozan ärelysten, ambitiös ทะเยอทะยาน hevesli, hırslı, ihtiraslı 有雄心的 честолюбний اولولعزم tham vọng 有雄心的

adv amˈbitiously

ambisieus بِطُموح شَدِيد амбициозно ctižádostivě; náročně ambitiøst ehrgeizig φιλόδοξα ambiciosamente, con ambición auahnelt جاه طلبانه؛ با بلند همتی kunnianhimoisesti ambitieusement מִתוֹך שְׁאַפתָנוּת महत्वाकांक्षा के साथ ambiciozno becsvágyóan, nagyratörően secara ambisius af metnaðargirni; af stórhuga, dirfskulega ambiziosamente 野心的に 야심차게 garbėtroškiškai godkārīgi dengan bersungguh eerzuchtig ærgjerrig, ambisiøst ambitnie ambiciosamente ambiţios, cu ambiţie амбициозно náročne ambiciozno ambiciozno ärelystet, ambitiöst อย่างทะเยอทะยาน hevesle, gayretle 有雄心地 честолюбно حوصلہ مندی سے đầy tham vọng 有雄心地

n amˈbitiousness

ambiseusheid طُموح желание ctižádost; náročnost ærgærrighed; ambition die Ehrgeizigkeit φιλοδοξία, φιλόδοξες τάσεις ambición auahnus جاه طلبی؛ بلندهمتی kunnianhimo ambition שְׁאַפתָנוּת महत्वाकांक्षा ambicioznost becsvágy, nagyratörés ambisi metnaðargirnd ambizione 野心ある事 야심 (garbės) troškimas godkārība kesungguhan eerzuchtigheid ærgjerrighet, ambisjon ambicja ambição ambiţie амбициозность náročnosť ambicioznost ambicioznost ärelystnad, äregirighet ความทะเยอทะยาน heves, gayret, arzu 充滿雄心或抱負 честолюбність عالی حوصلگی sự có nhiều tham vọng 雄心

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ambition → طُموح ctižádost ambition Ehrgeiz φιλοδοξία ambición kunnianhimo ambition ambicija ambizione 野心 야심 ambitie ærgjerrighet ambicja ambição честолюбие ambition ความทะเยอทะยาน hırs tham vọng 雄心