overambitious

Overambitious is an adjective describing aims, plans, or aspirations that are excessively or unrealistically ambitious, often beyond what is feasible given available resources, time, or constraints. The term frequently applies to projects, reforms, budgets, or personal goals that require more than can realistically be delivered without sacrificing quality, ethics, or sustainability.

Origin: The form is a compound of ambitious with the prefix over-, signaling excess. The root ambitious comes from Latin ambitiosus, from ambit- meaning “going about” or “praising.”

Usage: In critique, overambitious plans are cited as prone to failure due to optimism bias, inadequate risk assessment, or scope creep. While ambition can drive progress, overambition can lead to delays, budget overruns, compromised standards, or burnout. In positive contexts, the term can warn against overreach while acknowledging high aims.

Examples: A government proposed an overambitious reform that could not be realistically implemented in a single term. A startup’s overambitious roadmap stretched resources thin and delayed essential milestones.

Related terms include overreaching, hyperambitious, and overconfident; antonyms include cautious, pragmatic, and modest. The concept is common in business, politics, and art criticism and is often discussed alongside planning fallacy, risk management, and resource constraints.