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
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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
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed but the move reflects Ykone’s ambition to consolidate its European footprint and reinforce its top position in the luxury and high-end influence market.
—
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
Her focus is less on scale and more on building a space where women can define ambition and identity on their own terms.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 28 Oct. 2025
The horror film takes the world of elite sports to disturbing new extremes, filled with brutal ambition, blood-sucking leeches, and hard-hitting serves.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
This marks a notable shift in Newsom’s public posture, following years of consistently denying presidential ambitions.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ambition
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
Her focus is less on scale and more on building a space where women can define ambition and identity on their own terms.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 28 Oct. 2025
The horror film takes the world of elite sports to disturbing new extremes, filled with brutal ambition, blood-sucking leeches, and hard-hitting serves.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
This marks a notable shift in Newsom’s public posture, following years of consistently denying presidential ambitions.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ambition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambition
Noun
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First up was the Rockets who, during the offseason, had asserted their own title aspirations by trading for former Thunder star Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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But how Beck responds this time will be a driving force to how the Hurricanes power through in the second half of a season that still has College Football Playoff aspirations.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Federal investigation reveals wide criminal net Browse the website of Chen’s Prince Group, and the company’s public image is one of charitable endeavors, business accolades and awards for corporate social responsibility initiatives, large donations to anti-Covid efforts, and education programs.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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That generational focus extends to the Young4Film network, an European initiative dedicated to building bridges between creators and audiences.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Whether your goal is to work in government, the private sector, or a nonprofit organization, our curriculum prepares you for diverse roles such as intelligence analyst, foreign service officer, military analyst, or special agent.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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But recent reports show that goal is nowhere near.—
Matthew Tostevin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To make determinations about its rate policy and other decisions to help the economy, the Fed relies heavily on official economic statistics that are collected and disseminated by the government.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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At September’s United Nations Climate Summit, President Xi Jinping reinforced that determination by announcing an absolute target that China will reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 7 to 10% from peak levels by 2035.—
Sunny Tan,
Sourcing Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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In court, Everett reviewed details of the case, including McGraw's deletion of a text message that was part of discovery in the case, an action that the judge said was considered in his ruling.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Swets, who has expertise with special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), formed Greenland Exploration with his investment and merchant banking firm, FG Nexus, and agreed to merge with March GL and find a suitable SPAC to take the company public.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
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Sea lines of communication, or SLOCs, are the principal maritime routes between ports used for trade, military or other purposes.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The motivation appears to be part national defense (deterring China) and part branding exercise.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Oct. 2025
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The players’ motivation in this match is different.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The drive-thru coffee shop is being built where Pride Cleaners occupied a building that has been taken down.—
Andy Humbles,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Oct. 2025
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Later, Owsley Brown II served as board president during major funding drives to build the theater's facilities.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ambition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambition. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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