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Ambition

Psychology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A strong desire to achieve distinction, influence, or a demanding goal.

Detailed Definition
Ambition organizes energy around a future achievement, often mingling hope, discipline, comparison, and fear of insignificance. Poetry may embody it in ladders, crowns, sleepless notebooks, or a voice practicing before an empty hall. It can enlarge a life through purpose, yet also consume the present when worth becomes dependent on arrival. The term allows a poem to examine both the dignity of striving and the costs of relentless self-measurement.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem about pursuing justice, artistic mastery, or a difficult dream can present ambition as a motivating force; In “Ulysses,” Alfred Tennyson portrays a speaker driven to continue striving and seeking experience; A poet can reveal ambition through upward imagery, future tense, and verbs of building or reaching; A dramatic monologue may complicate ambition by showing both the speaker’s aspiration and the sacrifices it demands.
Additional Notes
Ambition is a powerful drive toward achievement, recognition, influence, or a demanding goal. It can inspire discipline and growth, but may also create pressure, rivalry, or moral conflict. Poems often examine ambition through ascent imagery, competition, sacrifice, and the cost of success.
Also Known As
Aspiration Drive Goal Orientation Determination Enterprise
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