stratospheric ambition
- noun
- /ˌstrætəˈsfɛrɪk æmˈbɪʃən/
:
ambición estratosférica
- His stratospheric ambition pushed the company to innovate, but also led to several costly mistakes.
Examples
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In her memoir, she writes about the dangers of stratospheric ambition without a solid plan.
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The candidate's stratospheric ambition impressed some, but others found it unrealistic.
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Her stratospheric ambition led her to become a CEO at a young age.
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Many people admire his stratospheric ambitions in the tech industry.
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The architect's stratospheric ambition to create the tallest building in the world was inspiring, yet many questioned its feasibility.
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Her stratospheric ambition to revolutionize education left her colleagues in awe but also skeptical about the practical steps needed.
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While his stratospheric ambition motivated the team, it also raised concerns about the likelihood of achieving such lofty goals.
Synonyms
310
2.8
A strong wish to achieve something important to you
110
4.2
A strong wish to reach an important goal
How Ambitious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines a metaphorical adjective 'stratospheric' (very high) with 'ambition', so the overall meaning — extremely high or unrealistic aspirations — is directly derivable from the constituents. The height-as-degree metaphor is common cross-linguistically and follows standard adjective + noun composition, so a learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended sense.
Etymology
Stratospheric ambition may come from the image of stratospheric as very high in the sky and ambition as a big goal. So, picturing a goal up in the high sky helps explain why the phrase means 'very high' or 'unrealistic' aims.