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Ambitious synonyms

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aspiring
Hoping to become
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  1. Hoping to become
  2. Striving for or desirous of reaching some (usually lofty) goal
enterprising
Displaying bravery and daring in the attempt of some task.
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  1. Displaying bravery and daring in the attempt of some task.
  2. Showing initiative and willingness to undertake new projects:
  3. Being very able and ingenious in business dealings.
emulous
Eager or ambitious to equal or surpass another.
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  1. Eager or ambitious to equal or surpass another.
  2. Characterized or prompted by a spirit of rivalry.
  3. (Obsolete) Covetous of power or honor; envious.
hopeful
Inspiring hope; promising.
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  1. Inspiring hope; promising.
  2. Inspiring or giving hope
  3. Feeling or showing hope; expecting to get what one wants
zealous
Filled with or motivated by zeal; fervent.
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  1. Filled with or motivated by zeal; fervent.
  2. Full of zeal; ardent, fervent; exhibiting enthusiasm or strong passion.
climbing
(Botany, of a plant) That climbs; that grows upwards by gripping onto a surface.
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  1. (Botany, of a plant) That climbs; that grows upwards by gripping onto a surface.
eager
(Obsolete) Tart; sharp; cutting.
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  1. (Obsolete) Tart; sharp; cutting.
  2. (Archaic) Sharp; keen
  3. Feeling or showing keen desire; impatient or anxious to do or get; ardent
aggressive
Inclined to behave in an actively hostile fashion:
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  1. Inclined to behave in an actively hostile fashion:
  2. Ready or willing to take issue or engage in direct action; militant
  3. Fast growing; tending to spread quickly and invade:
earnest
Showing or expressing sincerity or seriousness:
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  1. Showing or expressing sincerity or seriousness:
  2. Serious and intense; not joking or playful; sincere, ardent, etc.
determined
Decided or resolved:
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  1. Decided or resolved:
  2. Decided; resolute, possessing much determination.
  3. Marked by or showing determination; resolute:
industrious
(Obsolete) Skillful; clever.
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  1. (Obsolete) Skillful; clever.
  2. Characterized by earnest, steady effort; hardworking; diligent
  3. Energetic in application to work or study.
driven
Piled up or carried along by a current:
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  1. Piled up or carried along by a current:
  2. Having, or caused to act or function by, a sense of urgency or compulsion
  3. Motivated by or having a compulsive quality or need:
hungry
Feeling, having, or showing hunger
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  1. Feeling, having, or showing hunger
  2. Experiencing a desire or need for food.
  3. Extremely desirous; avid:
thirsty
Craving something.
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  1. Craving something.
  2. Needing to drink.
  3. Causing thirst; giving one a need to drink.
designing
Scheming; crafty; artful
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  1. Scheming; crafty; artful
  2. That designs, or makes plans, patterns, etc.
  3. Artful; scheming
scheming
(Pejorative) Tending to scheme.
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  1. (Pejorative) Tending to scheme.
  2. Given to forming schemes or plots; crafty, tricky, deceitful, etc.
pushing
Energetic; enterprising.
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  1. Energetic; enterprising.
  2. That pushes forward; pressing, driving.
  3. Aggressive; enterprising; energetic
resourceful
Able to act effectively or imaginatively, especially in difficult situations.
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  1. Able to act effectively or imaginatively, especially in difficult situations.
  2. Capable or clever; able to put available resources to efficient or ingenious use; using materials at hand wisely or efficiently.
opportunistic
Taking advantage of situations that arise
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  1. Taking advantage of situations that arise
  2. Taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit.
  3. Said of people who will take advantage of situations to advance their own interests, without regard for principles
energetic
Of, having, or showing energy; vigorous; forceful
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  1. Of, having, or showing energy; vigorous; forceful
  2. Of or relating to energy.
  3. Possessing, exerting, or displaying energy.
enthusiastic
Having or showing enthusiasm; ardent
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  1. Having or showing enthusiasm; ardent
  2. Of, or having the nature of, enthusiasm
  3. With zealous fervor; excited, motivated.
driving
Moving with force and violence
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  1. Moving with force and violence
  2. Violent, intense, or forceful:
  3. Energetic or active:
avid
Eager and enthusiastic
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  1. Eager and enthusiastic
  2. Having an intense craving; greedy
  3. Having or marked by strong desire or craving; greedy:
sharp
Suitable for use in cutting or piercing; having a very thin edge or fine point; keen
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  1. Suitable for use in cutting or piercing; having a very thin edge or fine point; keen
  2. Having clear form and detail:
  3. Abrupt or acute:
intent
Firmly directed or fixed; earnest; intense
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  1. Firmly directed or fixed; earnest; intense
  2. Having the mind and will focused on a specific purpose:
  3. Having the attention applied; engrossed:
vaulting
Reaching too far; exaggerated:
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  1. Reaching too far; exaggerated:
  2. Used in vaulting
  3. Employed in jumping over something:
up-and-coming
Enterprising, alert, and promising
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  1. Enterprising, alert, and promising
  2. Showing signs of advancement and ambitious development:
  3. (Idiomatic) emerging; aspiring; improving; beginning to attract attention or critical acclaim
upwardly-mobile
Advancing or likely to advance in economic and social standing:
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  1. Advancing or likely to advance in economic and social standing:
careerist
Of or pertaining to such a person or way of life
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  1. Of or pertaining to such a person or way of life
overambitious
Ambitious to an excessive degree.
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  1. Ambitious to an excessive degree.
  2. Excessively ambitious
predatory
Living by capturing and feeding upon other animals; predacious
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  1. Living by capturing and feeding upon other animals; predacious
  2. Of, living by, or characterized by plundering, robbing, or ruthlessly exploiting others
  3. Living or characterized by the exploitation of others for personal gain:
pushy
Disagreeably aggressive or forward.
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  1. Disagreeably aggressive or forward.
  2. (Informal) Annoyingly aggressive and persistent
  3. Aggressively ambitious; overly assertive, bold or determined.
on-the-make
(Idiomatic) Actively seeking a romantic encounter or relationship.
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  1. (Idiomatic) Actively seeking a romantic encounter or relationship.
  2. (Idiomatic, by extension) Actively seeking an opportunity for self-advancement; eager to ingratiate oneself to others in order to secure some advantage.
arduous
Testing severely the powers of endurance; strenuous:
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  1. Testing severely the powers of endurance; strenuous:
  2. Demanding great effort or labor; difficult:
  3. Using much energy; strenuous
formidable
Awe-inspiring in size, excellence, etc.; strikingly impressive
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  1. Awe-inspiring in size, excellence, etc.; strikingly impressive
  2. Arousing fear, dread, or alarm:
  3. Difficult to undertake, surmount, or defeat:
lofty
Elevated in character; exalted.
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  1. Elevated in character; exalted.
  2. High, tall, having great height or stature
  3. Idealistic, implying over-optimism
pretentious
Showing or betraying an attitude of superiority:
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  1. Showing or betraying an attitude of superiority:
  2. Making claims, explicit or implicit, to some distinction, importance, dignity, or excellence
  3. Claiming that or behaving as if one is important or deserving of merit when such is not the case:
aspiring
Striving for or desirous of reaching some (usually lofty) goal
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  1. Striving for or desirous of reaching some (usually lofty) goal
  2. Hoping to become
emulous
(Obs.) Jealous; envious
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  1. (Obs.) Jealous; envious
  2. (Obsolete) Covetous of power or honor; envious.
  3. Characterized or prompted by a spirit of rivalry.

Synonym Study

  • Emulous suggests ambition characterized by a competitive desire to equal or surpass another
  • Enterprising implies an energetic readiness to take risks or undertake new projects in order to succeed
  • Aspiring suggests a striving to reach some lofty end regarded as somewhat beyond one's normal expectations an aspiring young poet
  • Ambitious implies a striving for advancement, wealth, fame, etc., and is used with both favorable and unfavorable connotations
Find another word for ambitious. In this page you can discover 55 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for ambitious, like: aspiring, enterprising, emulous, hopeful, zealous, high-reaching, climbing, eager, aggressive, earnest and determined.

Sentence Examples

  • She was ambitious, driven by her need for power.

  • I make sure ambitious people like you don't mess up this world.

  • Truly, we are deep thinkers, we are ambitious spirits!

  • The themes of all his more ambitious poems can be traced to Chaucerian sources.

  • For a time Bela was equally fortunate in the north-west, where the ambitious and enterprising Piemyslidae had erected a new Bohemian empire which absorbed the territories of the old Babenbergers and was very menacing to Hungary.

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Words that mention ambitious in the Dictionary

Words near ambitious in the Thesaurus