ambitious
adjective
am·bi·tious
am-ˈbi-shəs 
1
2
: resulting from, characterized by, or showing ambition
an ambitious film
ambitiously
adverb
ambitiousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of ambitious in a Sentence
The company was created by two very ambitious young men in the early 1900s.
This 500-page book is her most ambitious effort yet.
Your plans for the future are very ambitious.
It was too ambitious a task for just one person.
Recent Examples on the Web
More and more people kept subscribing, and as the company forged ahead with its ambitious originals strategy (with early staples like House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black) and expanded into more countries, the numbers kept climbing higher.
—
Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
Considered by some to be an ambitious, rising star in the gallery world, Philbrick got his start as an intern at London’s prestigious White Cube gallery and worked his way up to their head of secondary-market sales, The New York Times reported.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024
Others, including Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, still seem uncertain whether the ambitious tower will actually ever materialize.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 18 Apr. 2024
Democrats who control the state Capitol funded pilots to test new ways to support foster youth, help oil workers transition to cleaner industries and prevent more Californians from becoming homeless — just some of the ambitious ideas that became reality when the budget was flush.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
It was billed as one of the nation’s most ambitious efforts to end pay-to-play in contracting and designed to fundamentally change the political culture of a state steeped in corruption.
—Irene Casado Sanchez, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
In the earlier film, a couple’s lives are thrown out of whack less by the woman’s pregnancy than by her fear of disclosing it to her husband, a poor but ambitious man who wants no children.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
What’s the role of technology in meeting those ambitious goals?
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Under his leadership, Ikea operator Ingka Group set ambitious climate targets and in November revised them to be even stronger.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
Considered by some to be an ambitious, rising star in the gallery world, Philbrick got his start as an intern at London’s prestigious White Cube gallery and worked his way up to their head of secondary-market sales, The New York Times reported.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024
Others, including Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, still seem uncertain whether the ambitious tower will actually ever materialize.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 18 Apr. 2024
Democrats who control the state Capitol funded pilots to test new ways to support foster youth, help oil workers transition to cleaner industries and prevent more Californians from becoming homeless — just some of the ambitious ideas that became reality when the budget was flush.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
It was billed as one of the nation’s most ambitious efforts to end pay-to-play in contracting and designed to fundamentally change the political culture of a state steeped in corruption.
—Irene Casado Sanchez, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
In the earlier film, a couple’s lives are thrown out of whack less by the woman’s pregnancy than by her fear of disclosing it to her husband, a poor but ambitious man who wants no children.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
What’s the role of technology in meeting those ambitious goals?
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Under his leadership, Ikea operator Ingka Group set ambitious climate targets and in November revised them to be even stronger.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambitious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ambitious
Cite this Entry
“Ambitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambitious. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ambitious
adjective
am·bi·tious
am-ˈbish-əs
1
: controlled by or having ambition
ambitious to be captain of the team
2
: showing ambition
an ambitious plan
ambitiously
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share