What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Pride vs Ambition - What's the difference?

pride | ambition |

As nouns the difference between pride and ambition

is that pride is the quality or state of being proud; inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, rank etc., which manifests itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve and often contempt of others while 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.

As verbs the difference between pride and ambition

is that pride is to take or experience pride in something, be proud of it while ambition is to seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.

pride

English

(wikipedia pride)

Noun

  • The quality or state of being proud; inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, rank etc., which manifests itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve and often contempt of others.
  • A sense of one's own worth, and abhorrence of what is beneath or unworthy of one; lofty self-respect; noble self-esteem; elevation of character; dignified bearing; proud delight; -- in a good sense.
    • He took pride in his work.
    He had pride of ownership in his department.
  • * (rfdate) Macaulay
    • A people which takes no pride' in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with ' pride by remote descendants.
  • * (rfdate) (William Blake)
    • The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.
  • Proud or disdainful behavior or treatment; insolence or arrogance of demeanor; haughty bearing and conduct; insolent exultation; disdain; hubris.
  • * (rfdate) G. K. Chesterton, Introduction to Aesop's Fables
    • Pride goeth before the fall.
  • That of which one is proud; that which excites boasting or self-gratulation; the occasion or ground of self-esteem, or of arrogant and presumptuous confidence, as beauty, ornament, noble character, children etc.
  • * (rfdate) Spenser
    • lofty trees yclad with summer's pride
  • * (rfdate) Bible, Zech. ix. 6
    • I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
  • * (rfdate) Goldsmith
    • a bold peasantry, their country's pride
  • (zoology) The small European lamprey species .
  • Show; ostentation; glory.
  • * (rfdate) Shakespeare
    • Pride , pomp, and circumstance of glorious war.
  • Highest pitch; elevation reached; loftiness; prime; glory,
  • * to be in the pride of one's life.
  • * (rfdate) Shakespeare
    • a falcon, towering in her pride of place
  • Consciousness of power; fullness of animal spirits; mettle; wantonness.
  • Lust; sexual desire; especially, excitement of sexual appetite in a female beast.
  • (zoology) A company of lions.

    • Synonyms

    * (lamprey species) prid, sandpiper * See also

    Derived terms

    * point of pride * pride comes before a fall * prideful

    Related terms

    * proud

    Verb

  • (reflexive) To take or experience pride in something, be proud of it.
    • I pride myself on being a good judge of character, but pride goes before the fall and I'm not a good judge of my own character so I'm often wrong without knowing it.

    References

    (Webster 1913)

    Anagrams

    * English collective nouns

    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.

    Quotations

    (English Citations of "ambition")

    Related terms

    * ambience * ambient * ambit * ambitious * ambitionist

    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.

    External links

    * * ----