Strong determination to reach a significant goal or level of achievement.
Reach for it when praising directed aspiration when the goal and means are worthwhile
Her ambition is to bring clean water to every household in the valley.
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| professional |
|
| formal |
playful
hunger
Fits when intense desire suits candid informal praise
Careful Hunger can sound ruthless or needy in dignified recognition.
everyday
Fits when inner energy repeatedly pushes action
Careful Drive can become compulsive and does not identify the goal.
warm
Fits when hopeful direction matters more than competitive drive
Careful Aspiration may remain a wish without sustained effort.
warm
Fits when persistence despite obstacles is the admired quality
Careful Determination can serve a modest task rather than a large ambition.
warm
Fits when meaning guides sustained work
Careful Purpose can be steady and unambitious.
professional
Fits when the intended result needs to be concrete
Careful A goal is an object of effort, not the motivating desire.
formal
Fits when initiative and resourcefulness pursue a substantial undertaking
Careful Enterprise adds commercial overtones absent from many ambitions.
great ambition
Building a free rural clinic was a great ambition.
personal ambition
Personal ambition did not prevent her from sharing credit.
realize an ambition
The fellowship helped him realize an ambition to study coral reefs.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, California accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
Your browser isn't saving lists, so this one will be cleared when you leave the page.