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 Game and Fish recently devoted an entire division's focus to recreational shooting, which includes archery, competitive shotgun shooting and shooting range development. Arkansas Game and Fish, arkansasonline.com, 22 Oct. 2024 Some of California’s most competitive congressional races are in districts with significant Latino populations. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024 The appointment came after Osaka parted ways with her longtime mentor Wim Fissette. Osaka, ranked 56th, returned to competitive tennis from a 15-month maternity break at the start of this year. Manasi Pathak, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Shortly after it was announced Monday (Oct. 21) that the country star had topped the U.S. ranking — beating out other competitive new releases from Rod Wave and Charli XCX — the Dumb Blonde podcaster reshared Billboard‘s post about her husband’s feat on her Instagram Story. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for competitive 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'competitive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near competitive

Cite this Entry

“Competitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/competitive. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!