Ambitious = negative connotation?

Question

Whenever I come across the word "ambitious" I get the feeling that it is used primarily with a negative connotation, e.g. "That ambitious ***..." in the sense that an ambitious person is someone who tries to succeed without paying attention to other people's concerns (ruthlessly and inconsiderately).
Am I right with this or is "ambitious" still REALLY neutral? Thx
Markus

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Whenever I come across the word "ambitious" I get the feeling that it is used primarily with a negative connotation, ... to other people's concerns (ruthlessly and inconsiderately). Am I right with this or is "ambitious" still REALLY neutral? Thx Markus[/nq]
Was it every really entirely neutral? Negative connotations are famously witnessed in Shakespeare:
ANTONY: Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
...
The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious.
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
...
He was my friend, faithful and just to me;
But Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honorable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill.
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept;
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honorable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a crown,
Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And sure he is an honorable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke
...

Roland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food.

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Usenet · Answer

"Markus Appel" (Email Removed) wrote on 15 Dec 2003:
[nq:1]Whenever I come across the word "ambitious" I get the feeling that it is used primarily with a negative connotation, ... paying attention to other people's concerns (ruthlessly and inconsiderately). Am I right with this or is "ambitious" still REALLY neutral?[/nq]
It all depends on context. If you write a recommendation for someone just graduating from college and say a few positive things about the student's academic strengths and then go on to say something like "Mr X is a bright, ambitious young man who will undoubtedly succeed in his chosen field", "ambitious" is positive. It indicates that Mr X is someone who will probably work hard and become as good as possible at his job.
People with ambition are appreciated by most employers, but ambitious people tend to want more than they are entitled to and much more quickly than they deserve to get it.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Whenever I come across the word "ambitious" I get the feeling that it is used primarily with a negative connotation, ... to other people's concerns (ruthlessly and inconsiderately). Am I right with this or is "ambitious" still REALLY neutral? Thx Markus[/nq]
In my experience, it's usually either positive or negative, not neutral.

Jerry Friedman

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Whenever I come across the word "ambitious" I get the ... with this or is "ambitious" still REALLY neutral? Thx Markus[/nq]
[nq:1]In my experience, it's usually either positive or negative, not neutral.[/nq]
I agree. "He is ambitious" is taken to mean either that he is a hard worker that will strive to succeed, or that he is dangerous to work around. I think anyone hearing or reading "He is ambitious" would look for the positive or the negative implication and not accept it as neutral.
The jobsworth types always look at it as a negative word. The secure rarely do.

Ambitious = negative connotation?

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