competitive

adjective

com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpe-tə-tiv How to pronounce competitive (audio)
1
: relating to, characterized by, or based on competition
competitive sports
a competitive marketplace
2
: inclined, desiring, or suited to compete
a competitive personality
competitive interest rates
3
: depending for effectiveness on the relative concentration of two or more substances
competitive inhibition of an enzyme
competitively adverb
competitiveness noun

Examples of competitive in a Sentence

She is a very competitive player. You need a degree to be competitive in today's job market.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The new offering is meant to not only make the company more competitive with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, but also to grow its nascent advertising business, which has become a key strategic effort for the company. Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2025 Advertisement Of course, there’s not a whole lot regulators can do to make a marketplace more competitive. Alana Semuels, Time, 15 July 2025 Intel has faced manufacturing delays, quality-control issues, marketing errors, expensive acquisitions that didn’t work out, executive management turnover and more in a highly competitive industry. Sasha Hupka, AZCentral.com, 14 July 2025 Considering the short window between series, MLB obviously would need to have this all planned out — from both a logistical and competitive perspective — well ahead of time. Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for competitive

Word History

Etymology

see competition

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of competitive was in 1829

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Competitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/competitive. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

competitive

adjective
com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpet-ət-iv How to pronounce competitive (audio)
: relating to, characterized by, or based on competition
competitive sports
competitive bidding
competitively adverb
competitiveness noun

Medical Definition

competitive

adjective
com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpet-ət-iv How to pronounce competitive (audio)
: depending for effectiveness on the relative concentration of two or more substances
competitive inhibition of an enzyme
competitive protein binding
competitively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on competitive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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