ambition en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ɛmˈbəʃ.ən/ (New-Zealand)
- /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ (Canada, General-American)
- (California) audio
- [ɛəmˈbɪʃ.n̩] (Canada, General-American) /æ/ raising
- /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ (Australia)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts? Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰíder. Proto-Italic *amβi- Latin ambi- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti Proto-Italic *ejō Proto-Italic *eō Latin eō Latin ambiō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin ambitiōder. Old French ambitionbor. Middle English ambicioun English ambition From Middle English ambicioun, from Old French ambition, from Latin ambitiō (“ambition, a striving for favor, literally 'a going around', especially of candidates for office in Rome soliciting votes”), from ambiō (“to go around, solicit votes”). See ambient, issue. By surface analysis, ambit + -ion.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or fame; desire to distinguish one's self from other people.
The third part of practice hath divers branches, but one principal root in these our times, which is the vast and overspreading ambition and usurpation of the see of Rome; […]
a. 1627 (date written), Francis Bacon, chapter VII, in James Spedding, editor, The Works of Francis Bacon, […]: The Letters and the Life of Francis Bacon […], volume IV, London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, published 1858, →OCLC, page 270:My daughter, Johanna, wants to be a firefighter very much. She has a lot of ambition.
One is aſtoniſhed hovv ſuch a ſmall ſpot could furniſh Men ſufficient to ſacrifice to the pitiful Ambition of poſſeſſing five or ſix thouſand more Acres, or tvvo or three more Villages: […]
1756, [Edmund Burke], A Vindication of Natural Society: Or, A View of the Miseries and Evils Arising to Mankind from Every Species of Artificial Society. […], London: […] M. Cooper […], →OCLC, page 20:Ambition makes you look pretty ugly / Kicking, squealing, Gucci little piggy
1997, “Paranoid Android”, in OK Computer, performed by Radiohead:
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(countable) An object of an ardent desire.
My ambition is to own a helicopter.
- (countable, uncountable) A desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things.
- (uncountable) A personal quality similar to motivation, not necessarily tied to a single goal.
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(countable, obsolete, uncountable) The act of going about to solicit or obtain an office, or any other object of desire; canvassing.
I on th' other ſide / Us'd no ambition to commend my deeds, […]
1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 22:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ambitions | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
nonambition · ambitionless · ambitionate · overambition · ambitionize · unambition · underambition
Relateds
ambit · ambitious · ambitionist · ambience · ambient
Translations (103)
es ambición (object of desire) · pdt Väanämungsjeist (personal quality) · pt ambição (personal quality) · sv ambition (object of desire) · cmn 奢望 (desire) · ca ambició (object of desire) · ja 野望 (personal quality) · cmn 抱負 /抱负 (desire) · ru амби́ция (personal quality) · be славалю́бства (personal quality) · pdt Väanämungsjeist (desire) · be амбі́цыя (desire) · ar مَطْمَح (desire) · fi pyrkimys (act of going about to solicit or obtain an object of desire) · fi intohimo (object of desire) · ivv kagum (desire) · pl ambicja (personal quality) · eo gloramo (desire) · sdn giuditzia (personal quality) · ca ambició (desire) · hu becsvágy (desire) · pt ambição (desire) · srn ambisi (desire) · it ambizione (personal quality) · ru цель (object of desire) · ms kesungguhan (desire) · sc ambitzione (personal quality) · pl ambicja (desire) · ml ലക്ഷ്യം (personal quality) · pt ambição (object of desire) · ru амби́ция (desire) · id ambisi (desire) · ca ambició (personal quality) · ru честолю́бие (personal quality) · ru мечта́ (object of desire) · cmn 志向 (object of desire) · es ambición (desire for another person to achieve these things) · fi aloitekyky (personal quality) · ja 野望 (desire) · sv ambitionsnivå (personal quality) · bg амби́ция (desire) · ceb ambisyon (desire) · lv godkāre (desire) · fa آرزو (object of desire) · cmn 志氣 /志气 (desire) · da ambition (desire) · fr ambition (desire) · enm ambicioun (desire) · el φιλοδοξία (desire) · cs ambice (desire) · hu vágy (object of desire) · uk амбі́ція (desire) · de Ehrgeiz (desire) · es ambición (desire) · hu törekvés (personal quality) · ko 야망 (desire) · la ambitiō (desire) · sc ambitzione (personal quality) · cmn 志向 (desire) · is metnaður (desire) · sv ambition (desire) · be амбі́цыя (personal quality) · sh ambicija (desire) · cs ambice (object of desire) · cs ctižádost (object of desire) · es ambición (personal quality) · nl eerzucht (desire) · fi kunnianhimo (desire) · nl ambitie (desire) · hu igyekezet (personal quality) · ja 野心 (personal quality) · ceb tinguha (desire) · hy փառասիրություն (act of going about to solicit or obtain an object of desire) · eo ambicio (desire) · gl ambición (desire) · ilo arapaap (desire) · mi hemonga (object of desire) · uk честолю́бство (personal quality) · bg честолю́бие (desire) · hu ambíció (desire) · cs ctižádost (desire) · ml അഭിലാഷം (desire) · hy փառասիրություն (desire) · lb Éiergäiz (desire) · hu nagyratörés (desire) · sdc ambizioni (personal quality) · ja 野心 (desire) · uk амбі́ція (personal quality) · hu cél (object of desire) · cmn 奢望 (personal quality) · cs ctižádost (personal quality) · fi yritys (act of going about to solicit or obtain an object of desire) · fa اشتیاق (personal quality) · fa اشتیاق (desire) · hu ambíció (personal quality) · ml ലക്ഷ്യം (desire) · pdt Äwanämungsjeist (desire) · fa خواهش (desire) · hu nagyravágyás (desire) · mi awhero (desire) · dtp iman-imanon (desire) · ko 야심 (desire) · ml അഭിലാഷം (object of desire)