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Ambition vs Conviction - What's the difference?

ambition | conviction |

In countable terms the difference between ambition and conviction

is that ambition is an object of an ardent desire while conviction is a judgement of guilt in a court of law.

In uncountable terms the difference between ambition and conviction

is that ambition is a personal quality similar to motivation, not necessarily tied to a single goal while conviction is the state of being convinced.

As nouns the difference between ambition and conviction

is that ambition is eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or literary fame; desire to distinguish one's self from other people while conviction is a firmly held belief.

As a verb ambition

is to seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.

ambition

English

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (uncountable, countable) Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or literary fame; desire to distinguish one's self from other people.
  • My son, John, wants to be a firefighter very much. He has a lot of ambition .
  • * Burke
  • the pitiful ambition of possessing five or six thousand more acres
  • (countable) An object of an ardent desire.
  • My ambition is to own a helicopter.
  • A desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things.
  • (uncountable) A personal quality similar to motivation, not necessarily tied to a single goal.
  • (obsolete) The act of going about to solicit or obtain an office, or any other object of desire; canvassing.
  • * Milton
  • [I] used no ambition to commend my deeds.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.
  • Pausanias, ambitioning the sovereignty of Greece, bargains with Xerxes for his daughter in marriage. — Trumbull.

    conviction

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (countable) A firmly held belief.
  • (countable) A judgement of guilt in a court of law.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=December 14 , author=Steven Morris , title=Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=He said Robins had not been in trouble with the law before and had no previous convictions . Jail would have an adverse effect on her and her three children as she was the main carer.}}
  • (uncountable) The state of being found or proved guilty.
  • (uncountable) The state of being convinced.
  • * 2013 , Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland'' (in ''The Guardian , 14 August 2013)[http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/14/england-scotland-international-friendly]
  • The visitors were being pinned back by the end of the first half. Yet Gordon Strachan's side played with great conviction and always had a chance of springing a surprise when their opponents were so susceptible at the back.

    Synonyms

    * See also