Ambitionlessness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mindset in which there is a complete absence of goals or aspirations for success A situation where one exhibits no drive or ambition to achieve anything A state characterized by a total disinterest in pursuing personal advancement or fulfillment
2. The condition of having no longing or motivation to accomplish goals or excel
3. A state where an individual shows no inclination toward progress or striving for higher achievements

Etymology: "Ambitionlessness" is a plain formation: the adjective "ambitionless", meaning without ambition, with the suffix "-ness" added to turn a quality into a noun for a state or condition. The adjective itself is built from "ambition" plus the suffix "-less", which signals the absence of whatever comes before it, as in "hopeless" or "fearless". Ambition itself comes from Latin "ambitio", a word for going around to canvass votes, which gave it the sense of seeking favour and then of striving for advancement. So the word stacks three layers: an old Latin root for courting support, an English suffix that removes the quality, and another that names the resulting state. "-Ness" is one of the most productive suffixes in English, attached to adjectives of almost any kind, which is why it can produce a long word like this one for a condition that needs describing.

Synonyms: lack of ambition, apathy

Antonyms: drive, ambition, motivation