Differene between 'ambitious' and 'aspiring/aspirant'?
According to OALD,
ambitious =determined to be successful, rich, powerful, etc.;
'aspiring/aspirant=wanting to be successful in life

Their usages sounds similar to me....

Is it ok to replace replace ambitious with aspiring/aspirant or vice versa in the following examples? Would it make any difference?

a fiercely *ambitious* young manager
They were very *ambitious* for their children
He came from an *aspiring* working-class background.

Thanks

Question

Differene between 'ambitious' and 'aspiring/aspirant'?
According to OALD,
ambitious =determined to be successful, rich, powerful, etc.;
'aspiring/aspirant=wanting to be successful in life

Their usages sounds similar to me....

Is it ok to replace replace ambitious with aspiring/aspirant or vice versa in the following examples? Would it make any difference?

a fiercely *ambitious* young manager
They were very *ambitious* for their children
He came from an *aspiring* working-class background.

Thanks

Answer

Both ambitious and aspiring are adjectives with similar meanings, the only big difference is aspiring is typically used to describe someone trying to be something specific that he/she is not yet.
For example:
She is an aspiring actress. (Means she wants to be an actor someday and is working towards it)
vs
She is an ambitious actress. (Means she is already an actor and she is working to become even more powerful at her craft)

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