Ambition
Ambition noun - Eager desire for personal advancement.
Usage example: “Talent without ambition will not make you a star,” the singer's voice coach liked to remind her
Drive is a synonym for ambition in enterprise topic. In some cases you can use "Drive" instead a noun "Ambition", when it comes to topics like strong desire for success.
Drive
Drive noun - Readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity.
Usage example: a great opportunity for a sales representative who is full of drive
Ambition is a synonym for drive in motivation topic. You can use "Ambition" instead a noun "Drive", if it concerns topics such as initiative.
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
Both words in one sentence
- White's desire for order and community, Black's drive and ambition for greatness (at any cost), and Red's passion and emotion.
Source: Analysis / Magic: The Gathering -
The Pawns in Dragon's Dogma are a humanoid race who have no ambition/drive beyond protecting the Arisen and have no emotions.
Source: Tin Man -
Germanic Efficiency Gone Horribly Right: Sobel's drive and ambition leads him to drive his company harder than any other.
Source: Series / Band of Brothers
Cite this Source
Drive and Ambition. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/ambition/drive
Ambition & Drive. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/ambition/drive>.
Drive or Ambition. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/ambition/drive.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "ambition" and "drive" have occurred on timeline