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Ambitious vs Capricious - What's the difference?

ambitious | capricious |

As adjectives the difference between ambitious and capricious

is that ambitious is possessing, or controlled by ambition; greatly or inordinately desirous of power, honor, office, superiority, or distinction while capricious is impulsive and unpredictable; determined by chance, impulse, or whim.

ambitious

English

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Possessing, or controlled by ambition; greatly or inordinately desirous of power, honor, office, superiority, or distinction.
  • * 1891 , , "The Man with the Twisted Lip,"
  • As I grew richer I grew more ambitious , took a house in the country, and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion as to my real occupation.
  • Strongly desirous—followed by "of" or the infinitive; as, ambitious to be or to do something.
  • Springing from, characterized by, or indicating, ambition; showy; aspiring.
  • Hard to achieve.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838
  • , page=13 (Technology Quarterly), magazine=(The Economist) , title= Ideas coming down the track , passage=A “moving platform” scheme

    Usage notes

    * Said of people, projects, plans, goals, etc.

    Derived terms

    * ambitiously * ambitiousness * overambitious

    References

    * * * * * " ambitious" in the Wordsmyth Dictionary-Thesaurus (Wordsmyth, 2002) * " ambitious" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2007) * " ambitious" in Compact Oxford English Dictionary , (Oxford University Press, 2007)

    capricious

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Impulsive and unpredictable; determined by chance, impulse, or whim
  • I almost died in a capricious winter storm.
    Stringent rulers are unlikely to act capriciously .
    The Mayor claimed that the action was reasonable, but in reality the action was arbitrary and capricious in nature.
  • *
  • Usage notes

    * Capricious can describe both a person and the decisions they make.

    Synonyms

    * whimsical * arbitrary

    Antonyms

    * conscientious * rigorous

    Derived terms

    * capriciously