It is Tom's ambition to go to the moon.
Source: tatoeba (37368)
Ambition
/æmˈbɪʃ.ən/
Synonyms for "ambition" (137 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (28)
Noun(5 words)
Strong matches (41)
Related words (68)
inspirationintendmentintentintentionkeennesslodestarlodestonelofty ambitionlustmagnanimitymagnetmainspringmarkmattermeaningmindmotivenirvananisusobject
Show 39 more words
Adjective(2 words)
intense pursuitprimal drive
Noun(7 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: aspiration, academic emulation, aim, aim, ambitiousness.
- Sentence evidence is available for ambition, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "ambition".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "ambition"
Keep "ambition" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "ambition" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "ambition", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "ambition" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
7 entriesMore specific
6 entriesacademic ambitionacademic goalcareer goalfinancial ambitionpolitical ambitionprofessional ambition
Collocations
5 entriesacademic ambitioncareer ambitionhigh ambitionpolitical ambitionstrong ambition
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
72 translations across 41 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- مَطْمَح noun (desire)
Armenian
1 entries- փառասիրություն noun (desire)
Belarusian
1 entries- амбі́цыя noun (desire)
Bulgarian
2 entries- амби́ция noun (desire)
- честолю́бие noun (desire)
Catalan
2 entries- ambició noun (desire)
- ambició noun (object of desire)
Cebuano
2 entries- ambisyon noun (desire)
- tinguha noun (desire)
Central Dusun
1 entries- iman-imanon noun (desire)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 奢望 noun (desire)
- 志向 noun (desire)
- 志向 noun (object of desire)
- 志氣 /志气 noun (desire)
Czech
4 entries- ambice noun (desire)
- ambice noun (object of desire)
- ctižádost noun (desire)
- ctižádost noun (object of desire)
Danish
1 entries- ambition noun (desire)
Dutch
2 entries- ambitie noun (desire)
- eerzucht noun (desire)
Esperanto
2 entries- ambicio noun (desire)
- gloramo noun (desire)
Finnish
2 entries- intohimo noun (object of desire)
- kunnianhimo noun (desire)
French
1 entries- ambition noun (desire)
Galician
1 entries- ambición noun (desire)
German
1 entries- Ehrgeiz noun (desire)
Greek
1 entries- φιλοδοξία noun (desire)
Hungarian
4 entries- ambíció noun (desire)
- becsvágy noun (desire)
- cél noun (object of desire)
- nagyratörés noun (desire)
Icelandic
1 entries- metnaður noun (desire)
Ilocano
1 entries- arapaap noun (desire)
Indonesian
1 entries- ambisi noun (desire)
Ivatan
1 entries- kagum noun (desire)
Japanese
2 entries- 野心 noun (desire)
- 野望 noun (desire)
Korean
2 entries- 야망 noun (desire)
- 야심 noun (desire)
Latin
1 entries- ambitiō noun (desire)
Latvian
1 entries- godkāre noun (desire)
Luxembourgish
1 entries- Éiergäiz noun (desire)
Malay
1 entries- kesungguhan noun (desire)
Malayalam
3 entries- അഭിലാഷം noun (desire)
- അഭിലാഷം noun (object of desire)
- ലക്ഷ്യം noun (desire)
Middle English
1 entries- ambicioun noun (desire)
Māori
2 entries- awhero noun (desire)
- hemonga noun (object of desire)
Persian
3 entries- آرزو noun (object of desire)
- اشتیاق noun (desire)
- خواهش noun (desire)
Plautdietsch
2 entries- Väanämungsjeist noun (desire)
- Äwanämungsjeist noun (desire)
Polish
1 entries- ambicja noun (desire)
Portuguese
2 entries- ambição noun (desire)
- ambição noun (object of desire)
Russian
3 entries- амби́ция noun (desire)
- мечта́ noun (object of desire)
- цель noun (object of desire)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- ambicija noun (desire)
Spanish
2 entries- ambición noun (desire)
- ambición noun (object of desire)
Sranan Tongo
1 entries- ambisi noun (desire)
Swedish
2 entries- ambition noun (desire)
- ambition noun (object of desire)
Ukrainian
1 entries- амбі́ція noun (desire)
Sample sentences
16 total sentences available.
Sony inspires ambition among its employees.
Source: tatoeba (50748)
His ambition was blasted by these repeated failures.
Source: tatoeba (55287)
That politician is full of ambition.
Source: tatoeba (68044)
Showing 4 of 16 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "ambition"?
Closest matches include aspiration, academic emulation, aim, aim, ambitiousness.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "ambition"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.