ambitious
UK: æmˈbɪʃəs | US: æmˈbɪʃəs
adj. having a strong desire for success, achievement, or distinction
adj. requiring exceptional effort or ability (e.g., an ambitious project)
ambitious = ambit<go around, seek> + ious<adjective suffix>
- ambit (from Latin ambitus, meaning "circuit" or "going around," later evolving to imply "striving for influence or recognition")
- ious (a suffix forming adjectives, indicating "full of" or "having the quality of")
Etymology Origin:
The word traces back to Latin ambitio ("a going around," especially to solicit votes), derived from ambire ("to go around"). Over time, it shifted from literal movement to metaphorical striving—reflecting the competitive nature of Roman politics. By the 14th century, English adopted "ambition" to denote eager pursuit of honor or power, with "ambitious" emerging as its adjectival form. The morpheme ambit preserves the core idea of seeking, while ious generalizes it into a trait.
She was ambitious and aimed to become CEO by 35.
The ambitious plan to colonize Mars faces technical hurdles.
His ambitious nature drove him to work 80-hour weeks.
Critics called the film’s visual effects overly ambitious.
Despite humble beginnings, her ambitious spirit led to success.