ambitious
Loading your saved state.
ambitious
Being ambitious and having high goals; having a strong desire and determination to be successful.
Sie ist eine sehr ambitionierte Sportlerin und trainiert jeden Tag für die Olympiade.
She is a very ambitious athlete and trains every day for the Olympics.
'Ambitioniert' (ambitious) is derived from the noun 'die Ambition' (ambition). If you know the noun, you can easily infer the meaning of the adjective.
Sein Ziel ist es, Firmenchef zu werden – er hat große Ambitionen.
His goal is to become company CEO — he has great ambitions.
Pay attention to what is being described. If 'ambitioniert' refers to a person, it means 'ehrgeizig' (ambitious). If it refers to a thing such as a plan or project, it means 'anspruchsvoll' (demanding).
Der ambitionierte Koch will drei Sterne bekommen.
The ambitious chef wants to earn three stars.
When it describes a person, 'ambitioniert' (ambitious) is often used for people in professional, athletic, or academic settings. Typical phrases are 'ambitionierte Mitarbeiter' (ambitious employees), 'ambitionierte Sportler' (ambitious athletes), or 'ambitionierte Wissenschaftler' (ambitious scientists).
Als ambitionierter Student wollte er sein Studium mit Bestnoten abschließen.
As an ambitious student, he wanted to complete his degree with top grades.
When it describes an undertaking, typical combinations are 'ein ambitioniertes Ziel' (an ambitious goal), 'ein ambitioniertes Projekt' (an ambitious project), or 'ein ambitionierter Zeitplan' (an ambitious schedule). It emphasizes that the task is difficult.
Die Firma verfolgt das ambitionierte Ziel, bis 2030 klimaneutral zu sein.
The company is pursuing the ambitious goal of being climate-neutral by 2030.
sporty / athletic
'sportlich' and 'ambitioniert' can both express that a goal is high and difficult to achieve. 'ambitioniert' sounds somewhat more formal and emphasizes that someone or a project has high goals. It can describe people, plans, or projects. In this meaning, 'sportlich' is more colloquial and usually describes a schedule, goal, or task that is very tight or difficult. Learners may confuse the words because both fit high goals. For people, 'ambitioniert' is more precise; for a difficult plan, 'sportlich' can sound relaxed and natural.
Herr Klein ist ambitioniert und möchte mit seinem Team ein großes Projekt schaffen.
Mr. Klein is ambitious and wants to complete a major project with his team.
Nina findet den Plan sportlich, weil die Wanderung vor dem Abend fertig sein soll.
Nina finds the plan ambitious because the hike is supposed to be finished before evening.