an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment: Too much ambition caused him to be disliked by his colleagues.
2.
the object, state, or result desired or sought after: The crown was his ambition.
3.
desire for work or activity; energy: I awoke feeling tired and utterly lacking in ambition.
–verb (used with object)
4.
to seek after earnestly; aspire to.
[Origin: 1300–50; ME ambicio(u)n (< MF) < L ambitiōn- (s. of ambitiō), equiv. to amb-ambi-+ -i- go + -t- ptp. suffix + -iōn--ion]
An eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power.
The object or goal desired: Her ambition is the presidency.
Desire for exertion or activity; energy: had no ambition to go dancing.
[Middle English ambicioun, excessive desire for honor, power, or wealth, from Old French ambition, from Latin ambitiō, ambitiōn-, from ambitus, past participle of ambīre, to go around (for votes); see ambient.]
1340, from L. ambitionem (nom. ambitio) "a going around (to solicit votes)," from ambitus, pp. of ambire "to go around" (see ambient). Rarely used in the literal sense in Eng.; the sense of "eager or inordinate desire of honor or preferment" goes back to the L.
Am*bi"tion\, 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. [Obs.] [I] used no ambition to commend my deeds. --Milton. 2. An eager, and sometimes an inordinate, desire for preferment, honor, superiority, power, or the attainment of something. Cromwell, I charge thee, fling a way ambition: By that sin fell the angels. --Shak. The pitiful ambition of possessing five or six thousand more acres. --Burke.
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