1
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
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ambition
Stalin has territorial ambitions over occupied territories.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Covista’s health-care ambitions Beard said the company worked through several ideas of how a new name could help tell the story.
—Ian Thomas, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
The development team’s ambition paid off.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
The 24-year-old had achieved his life’s ambition, successfully following in his parents’ footsteps by becoming an Olympian, the ultimate achievement and result of years of sacrifice and hard work.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ambition
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Covista’s health-care ambitions Beard said the company worked through several ideas of how a new name could help tell the story.
—Ian Thomas, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
The development team’s ambition paid off.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
The 24-year-old had achieved his life’s ambition, successfully following in his parents’ footsteps by becoming an Olympian, the ultimate achievement and result of years of sacrifice and hard work.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ambition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambition
Noun
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From legal aspirations to a life of art As a girl, I was fascinated by color, texture and creative expressions.—
Anya Sesay,
jsonline.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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But the Michigan year was important to his future head coaching aspirations.—
D. Orlando Ledbetter,
AJC.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beyond direct employment, Meta is launching a Boone County-wide workforce development initiative through the Boone County Career Collaborative.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
-
His work included electrification programs for major automakers and large-scale advanced-safety initiatives involving radar and camera systems — technologies that today play an important role in shaping driver-assistance features.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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If your goal is to get at the truth, or at least our closest approximation of it at the present time, the way to do that is to be scrupulous and forthright about the strengths and weaknesses of every link in your chain of argument.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
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The goal of any action, however, remains something of a mystery.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Her determination, her grit, her willingness to get her hands dirty, really shows on the screen.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The 2009 Environmental Protection Agency endangerment finding was a determination that pollutants from developing and burning fossil fuels, such as methane and carbon dioxide, can be regulated under the Clean Air Act.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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At this point, the park service is merely studying the idea, and the study could lead to no action at all.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The investigation resulted in an unnamed enforcement action, according to CBP.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Nevertheless, laid low by cancer and the claim battle, Karen Powers continued on in the job that had provided her with a lifelong sense of meaning and purpose.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
-
SpaceX plans to use its Starship system for the task — the largest spacecraft and rocket system ever built, and the vehicle that Musk says is purpose-made for taking people to Mars.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In any case, despite the motivations behind it the mutiny in the studio turned into a party.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
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While seeking a limerent object is a good case study in unconscious motivation, perhaps the best modern example of this phenomenon in practice is the cell phone.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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She was taken to a clinic in Cortina, then transferred to a larger hospital in Treviso, a two-hour drive to the south.—
ANDREW DAMPF,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
There are games when the opening drive goes that far.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambition. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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