competitive

adjective

com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpe-tə-tiv How to pronounce competitive (audio)
Synonyms of competitive
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.
Yet when a safety issue arises, competitive barriers come down. — Dennis Speigel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026 Polls broadly show Democrats favored in the national popular vote for the House, and competitive in a series of red-state Senate races that will decide control of the upper chamber. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026 Incomes have not kept up with rising costs in 42 of the 46 most competitive midterm election districts. — Amy L. Wong, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026 Strong intellectual property protections give authors and inventors the ability to turn their ideas into assets, their assets into competitive businesses, and their businesses into new jobs. — Coke Morgan Stewart, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026 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

Phrases Containing competitive

Rhymes for competitive

See All Rhymes for competitive

Browse Nearby Words

competitioner
competitive
competitive exclusion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Competitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/competitive. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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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

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for competitive

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