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overambitious

overambitious

1 5.3
Having goals that are too high to reach
  • adjective
  • /ˌoʊvəræmˈbɪʃəs/
translation icon : sobreambicioso
  • They set an overambitious deadline for the project, making it impossible to complete on time.

Examples

  • Most of the attention has gone into investigating how the levees failed and how best to rebuild them, even though overambitious flood control was a prime cause of the conditions that made Katrina and Rita so deadly.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The post-Tiananmen regime had clearly been overambitious in its rectification program.

    Academic text (1993)
  • I was overambitious in the schedule of projects.

    Blog text (22)
  • By the beginning of the new century, it was obvious that the 1987 goals were overambitious.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Maybe, Odo thought, keeping both of the boys was just the slightest little bit overambitious.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The responding teachers judged the social studies syllabus that became effective in 1996 to be overambitious, with too many topics and expectations.

    Academic text (1998)
  • In my observation, an unending or overambitious menu tends to create a hit-or-miss reputation for a restaurant.

    Blog text (7)
  • The substitute outcome becomes palatable to students over time, after college counselors alter student intentions by accumulating evidence, through grades and recordkeeping, that bachelor's degree aspirations are overambitious.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Her overambitious plan to start three businesses at once overwhelmed her.

  • The movie's overambitious storyline tried to cover too many themes and ended up confusing the audience.

Synonyms

overblown
vsoverambitious
28 5.7

Exaggerated and showy in style or speech

means having very high or unrealistic goals, not just pompous talk
overweening
vsoverambitious
  • Formal
2 9.8

Too much pride and confidence that makes people dislike you

is about unrealistically high goals without implying strong pride
overreaching
vsoverambitious
1 7.3

Trying to do more than is reasonable or possible

describes having goals that are unrealistically high rather than taking action
wild-eyed
vsoverambitious
1 8.0

Having very extreme ideas or plans that are unlikely to work

refers more to high goals generally rather than wild or chaotic plans
vaultingly ambitious
vsoverambitious
  • Literature
8.7

Wanting very great success that is unlikely to happen

expresses having unrealistically high goals without stressing extreme degree
overlofty
vsoverambitious
8.2

Having goals or ideas that are too high and unrealistic

focuses on unrealistically high goals rather than manner or style

Antonyms

283 3.7

Having sensible ideas about what can be achieved

How Ambitious

overambitious
1 5.3
driven
3.5
ambitious
128 3.7
unambitious
3 4.1

Surface Forms

overambitious positive

Morphology

overambitious = ambitious (transparent) = over + ambitious

The productive prefix 'over-' meaning 'excessively' attaches to the adjective 'ambitious', yielding the clear meaning 'excessively ambitious'.

Etymology

The word overambitious joins over- ('too much') and ambitious (from ambition, 'a strong wish to succeed'). So, it describes plans or goals that are too big and often unrealistic.