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Dictionary / ambition

ambition

/æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ (Received-Pronunciation)[ɛəmˈbɪʃ.n̩] (Canada, General-American)
  • noun
  • verb
  • from Old French

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.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “ambition” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. countableuncountableEager 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.

    My daughter, Johanna, wants to be a firefighter very much. She has a lot of ambition.

  2. countableAn object of an ardent desire.

    My ambition is to own a helicopter.

  3. countableuncountableA desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things.
  4. uncountableA personal quality similar to motivation, not necessarily tied to a single goal.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
  1. countableobsoleteuncountableThe act of going about to solicit or obtain an office, or any other object of desire; canvassing.
Wiktionary: “ambition” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

verb

  1. To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.

    Pausanias, ambitioning the sovereignty of Greece, bargains with Xerxes for his daughter in marriage.1746, C Turnbull, The Histories Of Marcus Junianus Justinus:

Wiktionary: “ambition” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (3)
  1. nouna cherished desire — also: aspiration, dream
  2. nouna strong drive for success — also: ambitiousness
  3. verbhave as one's ambition
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)ambition
  2. Middle Englishambicioun
  3. Old Frenchambition
  4. Latinambitiō “ambition, a striving for favor, literally 'a going around', especially of candidates for office in Rome soliciting votes”
  5. Latinambiō “to go around, solicit votes”

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.

Wiktionary: “ambition” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “ambition”

ambitionateambitionizeambitionlessnonambitionoverambitionunambitionunderambition

Related terms

ambienceambientambitambitiousambitionist
Wiktionary: “ambition” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “ambition” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “ambition” came from before it was English.

Came into English from
Old French
Old French ambition
Oldest written form
Latin
Latin ambiō “to go around, solicit votes”
Wiktionary: “ambition” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Latin
“to go around, solicit votes”
Latin ambiō
Wiktionary: “ambition” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

ambition n. [F. ambition, L. ambitio a going around, especially of candidates for office is Rome, to solicit votes (hence, desire for office or honor), fr. ambire to go around. See Ambient, Issue.]

  1. The act of going about to solicit or obtain an office, or any other object of desire; canvassing.
  2. An eager, and sometimes an inordinate, desire for preferment, honor, superiority, power, or the attainment of something.

ambition v. t. [Cf. F. ambitionner.]

  1. To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: 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.

My daughter, Johanna, wants to be a firefighter very much. She has a lot of ambition.

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, publish

nounMeaning: An object of an ardent desire.

My ambition is to own a helicopter.

verbMeaning: To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.

Pausanias, ambitioning the sovereignty of Greece, bargains with Xerxes for his daughter in marriage.1746, C Turnbull, The Histories Of Marcus Junianus Justinus:

nounMeaning: a cherished desire

his ambition is to own his own business

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “ambition” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 9

Say it, then spell it

ambition

/æmˈbɪʃ.ən/

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

ambition

/æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ · noun, verb

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “ambition” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) 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.
2. (noun) An object of an ardent desire.
3. (noun) A desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things.
4. (noun) A personal quality similar to motivation, not necessarily tied to a single goal.
5. (verb) To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“My daughter, Johanna, wants to be a firefighter very much. She has a lot of ambition.”

A. A personal quality similar to motivation, not necessarily tied to a single goal.
B. A desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things.
C. 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.

Circle the meaning used.

“My ambition is to own a helicopter.”

A. An object of an ardent desire.
B. To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.
C. A desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “ambition” come into English from?   A. Middle Dutch  B. Late Latin  C. Latin  D. Old French

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “ambition” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Latin ambiō. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “ambition” to mean: 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.
Write a sentence using “ambition” to mean: An object of an ardent desire.
Write a sentence using “ambition” to mean: A desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — ambition

Which meaning, sentence 1: C. 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.

Which meaning, sentence 2: A. An object of an ardent desire.

Origin: D. Old French (Old French ambition)

Journey: English ambition ← Middle English ambicioun ← Old French ambition ← Latin ambitiō ← Latin ambiō

Some derivatives: ambitionate, ambitionize, ambitionless, nonambition, overambition, unambition, underambition

Original meaning: Latin ambiō — “to go around, solicit votes”

Etymology: 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.

Sources: Wiktionary “ambition” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ambition#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/ambition