overambitious

/'ouvəræm'biʃəs/

Thân thiện

She took on an overambitious project that she couldn't finish alone.

Definition

Adjective: - Excessively ambitious: Having or showing an excessive or unrealistic amount of ambition, often to the point of being impractical, risky, or harmful.

Usage

The word "overambitious" is used to describe a person, plan, goal, or project that is characterized by an extreme level of ambition that is not sensible or achievable. It often carries a negative connotation, implying that the ambition is unreasonable and likely to lead to failure or negative consequences.

Examples

• Describing a person:

  • The new CEO was criticized for being overambitious and announcing unrealistic quarterly targets.
  • She is talented but sometimes overambitious, taking on more projects than she can handle.

• Describing a plan or project:

  • The city's overambitious plan to rebuild the entire infrastructure in one year was doomed from the start.
  • The film's overambitious special effects budget caused its eventual cancellation.

Advanced Usage

• "overambitious to the point of...": Used to emphasize the negative result of the excessive ambition.
  • His strategy was overambitious to the point of negligence, ignoring basic market risks.

Variants and Related Words

• Overambition (noun): The quality or state of being overambitious.
  • The project's failure was a direct result of sheer overambition.

Synonyms

• Overreaching: Trying to achieve more than is possible.
• Grandiose: Impressive or magnificent in appearance or style, especially pretentiously so.
• Unrealistic: Not showing or accepting things as they are.

Antonyms

• Unambitious: Not having or showing a strong desire and determination to succeed.
• Realistic: Having a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved.
• Modest: Unassuming in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements.

Idioms and Related Phrases

• "Bite off more than one can chew": To try to do something that is too difficult or to take on more responsibilities than one can manage. This idiom is a conceptual synonym for the state of being overambitious.
  • By promising to deliver three major reports in one week, he clearly bit off more than he could chew.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. excessively ambitious