ambitious
Loading your saved state.
ambitious
Having a strong desire and determination to achieve professional or personal success and reach demanding goals. Can be understood both positively (determined) and negatively (ruthless).
Sie ist eine sehr ehrgeizige Sportlerin und trainiert jeden Tag mehrere Stunden.
She is a very ambitious athlete and trains for several hours every day.
ambitious
Referring to a goal, plan, or project: very demanding and difficult to achieve.
Das Unternehmen hat sich für das nächste Quartal ein überaus ehrgeiziges Wachstumsziel gesetzt.
The company has set itself an extremely ambitious growth target for the next quarter.
The word is made up of 'die Ehre' (honor) and 'der Geiz' (greed). So it literally describes a person who is 'greedy for honor,' which explains the strong drive for success.
Sein Ehrgeiz ist seine größte Stärke und Schwäche zugleich.
His ambition is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.
Whether 'ehrgeizig' (ambitious) is meant positively (determined) or negatively (ruthless) depends on the context. An adverb such as 'zu' (too) or 'übertrieben' (excessively) often signals a negative judgment.
Sie ist eine ehrgeizige Managerin, die ihr Team motiviert.
She is an ambitious manager who motivates her team.
When 'ehrgeizig' (ambitious) does not refer to a person but to a thing, it means 'demanding.' Typical combinations are 'ein ehrgeiziges Ziel' (an ambitious goal), 'ein ehrgeiziger Plan' (an ambitious plan), or 'ein ehrgeiziges Projekt' (an ambitious project).
Der Zeitplan für das Bauprojekt ist äußerst ehrgeizig.
The schedule for the construction project is extremely ambitious.
hardworking
Fleißig and ehrgeizig can both describe a student positively. Fleißig mainly emphasizes regular effort and the work put in, while ehrgeizig emphasizes a strong desire to achieve a challenging goal. Use fleißig for the amount of work and ehrgeizig for being goal-oriented.
Mira ist ehrgeizig und möchte die Prüfung als Beste bestehen.
Mira is ambitious and wants to pass the exam with the highest score.
Mira lernt jeden Abend fleißig für die Prüfung.
Mira studies hard for the exam every evening.
