ambition
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ambition
A strong drive for success, achievement, recognition, or a high position. Often used in the plural to describe specific goals.
Ihre Ambitionen gehen weit über eine normale Karriere hinaus; sie will die Branche verändern.
Her ambitions go far beyond a normal career; she wants to change the industry.
'Ambition' (ambition) is a word that is used more in elevated or formal language. It sounds more educated and is often used in contexts such as careers, art, or politics.
Der junge Regisseur hat große künstlerische Ambitionen.
The young director has great artistic ambitions.
In the singular ('die Ambition' — ambition), the word describes the general drive for success as a character trait. In the plural ('die Ambitionen' — ambitions), it refers to specific, ambitious goals.
Ihm fehlt die nötige Ambition für eine Führungsposition.
He lacks the necessary ambition for a leadership position.
Common verbs used with this noun are 'Ambitionen haben' (to have ambitions), 'Ambitionen hegen' (to harbor ambitions), or 'Ambitionen verfolgen' (to pursue ambitions). Typical adjectives are 'große' (great), 'hohe' (high), 'politische' (political), or 'berufliche' (professional) ambitions.
Er hat schon immer politische Ambitionen gehabt.
He has always had political ambitions.
If you want to describe a specific goal, you can use an infinitive construction with 'zu' (to). The pattern is: 'die Ambition haben, etwas zu tun' (to have the ambition to do something).
Sie hat die Ambition, die beste in ihrem Fach zu werden.
She has the ambition to become the best in her field.
claim / demand
'der Anspruch' and 'die Ambition' can both have to do with high goals and achievement. 'der Anspruch' more often describes the standard that someone expects or wants to reach: something should be good, precise, or high-quality. 'die Ambition' more strongly describes the inner desire to succeed or get ahead. The words can be confused because an ambitious person often also has high standards. Put simply: Anspruch is the standard, Ambition is the drive.
Nach dem Training sprach das Team offen über seine Ambitionen für die neue Saison.
After training, the team spoke openly about its ambitions for the new season.
Paula hat bei der Arbeit den Anspruch, jede Aufgabe sorgfältig zu erledigen.
At work, Paula has the standard of completing every task carefully.