ambicioso
/ɐ̃.bi.siˈo.zu/
The English word 'ambitious' is translated into Portuguese as ambicioso.
The term is used to describe someone who possesses or is controlled by ambition.
Meaning: possessing, or controlled by, ambition (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree with the subject it describes. To agree with a feminine subject, use ambiciosa. For a masculine plural subject, use ambiciosos and for a feminine plural subject, use ambiciosas.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 5 syllables, and the stress is on the 4th syllable. The IPA is /ɐ̃.bi.siˈo.zu/.
Did you know?
- Etymologically, ambicioso comes from the Latin 'ambitio', which originally meant 'a going around'. In Ancient Rome, this referred to the practice of candidates 'going around' to solicit votes from the public.
- In Portuguese, describing a person as ambicioso can sometimes carry a more negative, greedy connotation than the English word 'ambitious'. While it can mean drive, it often implies someone who will do anything, even something unethical, to succeed.
- While ambicioso is used across the Lusophone world, the perceived 'danger' of the word is often higher in traditional Portuguese culture than in the more entrepreneurial culture of Brazil.
Examples in context
- Tom é muito ambicioso.Tom is very ambitious.This sentence is useful for describing someone's personality using ambicioso.Tatoeba #5158366 by bill, translation #3417615 by CK
- Eu sou muito ambicioso.I'm very ambitious.This sentence is useful for expressing your own ambition using ambicioso.Tatoeba #5976829 by bill, translation #5975681 by CK
- Somos um grupo ambicioso, não somos?We're an ambitious set, aren't we?This sentence is useful for describing a group of people using ambicioso.Tatoeba #12206438 by Advanced, translation #10863052 by CK
- Ele é uma pessoa determinadaHe is an ambitious person
- Ela é uma empreendedora ambiciosaShe is an ambitious entrepreneur
- Ele almeja uma carreira de sucessoHe aspires to have a successful career
- Ela é uma mulher arrojadaShe is an ambitious woman
- Ele luta com garra pelos seus objetivosHe fights with ambition for his goals
- A jovem advogada possui uma carreira ambiciosa pela frente.The young lawyer has an ambitious career ahead of her.
- Eles almejam se tornar referências no mercado global.They aspire to become references in the global market.
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Mariana are talking about their career goals.
- RodrigoEu quero ser o diretor da empresa logo.I want to be the director of the company soon.
- MarianaVocê é muito ambicioso, Rodrigo.You are very ambitious, Rodrigo.
- RodrigoEu apenas quero crescer na carreira.I just want to grow in my career.
- MarianaIsso é bom, mas requer muito trabalho.That is good, but it requires a lot of work.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ambitious” translations and entries ambicioso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ambicioso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
