ambitious
gb/æmbˈɪʃəs/ us/æmbˈɪʃəs/
B1
English
~ 4800
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
having a strong desire to succeed
Wanting very much to be successful or powerful, and willing to work hard for it.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is ambitious
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'ambitious' with 'greedy'. 'Ambitious' refers to wanting success or achievement, not necessarily money or possessions.
Synonyms
driven (Suggests strong motivation and focus on goals, sometimes more intense than 'ambitious'.)
Antonyms
unmotivated (Lacking the desire or drive to achieve goals.)
Collocations
highly ambitious
|ambitious goals
|ambitious project
|ambitious young
|ambitious plan
Themes
personal development
|career
|emotions
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She’s an ambitious young lawyer aiming for a partnership.
- The ambitious student spent nights preparing for the competition.
- He set ambitious targets for the company’s growth.
- They launched an ambitious plan to reduce pollution.
- Her ambitious nature impressed her new boss.
Learner examples
- She is ambitious and wants to be a doctor.
- He has an ambitious plan for his business.
- My sister is very ambitious in her studies.
- The team is ambitious and works very hard.
adjective
B2
property
2
requiring great effort to succeed
Needing a lot of work, time, or skill to do well.
Usage pattern:
an ambitious [project/plan/task]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this meaning with the personal quality of being 'ambitious'. Here it describes the scale or difficulty of something, not a person.
Synonyms
challenging (Emphasizes difficulty and effort needed rather than the desire behind it.)
Antonyms
simple (Easy to do and not requiring much effort or skill.)
Collocations
ambitious project
|ambitious target
|ambitious undertaking
|ambitious scheme
Themes
projects
|planning
|work
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The bridge was an ambitious engineering project for its time.
- They set an ambitious target of doubling profits in a year.
- It’s an ambitious task, but I think we can do it.
- Launching a new product in six months is ambitious.
- The ambitious plan required international cooperation.
Learner examples
- This is an ambitious project for our small team.
- He gave us an ambitious task to finish today.
- The new building is an ambitious plan for the city.
- Making this movie will be ambitious work.
Grammar
Dictionary form
ambitious
IPA
GB/æmbˈɪʃəs/
US/æmbˈɪʃəs/
Syllables & stress
am - bi - tious (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (bi)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: ambitious
Word family
Core family
ambition
noun B1
ambitiously
adverb
Related words
ambitiousness
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unambitious
adjective
Advanced or less common
overambitious
adjective
Expressions
aim high
1/ˈeɪm hˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
Set ambitious goals
To try for something big or difficult to reach.
Examples
- You should always aim high if you want to succeed.
- You should always aim high when planning your career.
- She aims high in her career choices.
- The coach told the team to aim high this season.
reach for the stars
1/ɹˈit͡ʃ fɚ ðə stˈɑɹz/
idiom
Aim for something very ambitious
To try to do something that is very hard or special.
Examples
- She always tells her students to reach for the stars.
- She told her students to always reach for the stars.
- If you want to reach for the stars, you must work hard every day.
- If you reach for the stars, you might get further than you think.
shoot for the moon
1/ʃˈut fɚ ðə mˈun/
idiom
informal
try for something very hard to get
To try to get something that is very hard or almost impossible.
Examples
- Even if we shoot for the moon and fail, we'll still land among the stars.
- He decided to shoot for the moon with his first business idea.
shoot for the moon
2/ʃˈut fɚ ðə mˈun/
idiom
Aim for a very high goal
To try to do something that is very hard to achieve.
Examples
- You should shoot for the moon with your new project.
- They are shooting for the moon with this ambitious plan.