entrepreneurial

adjective

en·​tre·​pre·​neur·​ial ˌän-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ē-əl 

-ˈn(y)u̇r-,

ˌäⁿn-

: having to do with the creation and development of economic ventures : of, relating to, characteristic of, or suited to an entrepreneur

entrepreneurial skills/ambitions/projects

entrepreneurial zeal

With your colleagues and the kids out of the way, what do you buy for that spouse or friend who's gone the entrepreneurial route and is working at home?

—Don Crabb

Harvard Business School, long known as a gateway to corporate America, last October established a beachhead in the nation's entrepreneurial epicenter, California's Silicon Valley.

—Marc Ballon

… economic development is more likely to occur (if at all) in the more entrepreneurial southern region.

—Sarah Searight

also : engaged or interested in the development of economic ventures

an ambitious and entrepreneurial young woman

a company founded by a group of entrepreneurial scientists

entrepreneurialism

ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ē-ə-li-zəm 

-ˈn(y)u̇r-

ˌäⁿn-

noun

The map shows the distribution of high-tech manufacturing firms in the southeastern United States …, helping to identify towns and cities that are lodestones of high-tech entrepreneurialism.

—John Tierney

entrepreneurially

ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ē-ə-lē 

-ˈn(y)u̇r-

ˌäⁿn-

adverb

… some 25 teams, drawn mostly from the ranks of universities and entrepreneurially minded engineers …

—Joseph Hooper

Examples of entrepreneurial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The spot highlights GoDaddy Airo while blending humor with entrepreneurial spirit. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 3 Feb. 2025

Founded in the Health Industry, Designed for Everyone Ross Franklin, the Founder and CEO of Pure Green, made his rounds across the fitness industry during his early entrepreneurial years. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025

Drucker was especially taken with the ideal of the entrepreneurial manager: an inspiring, creative, personable leader who cultivated loyal, productive, and enterprising employees. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Yet each step of my journey—from the subzero climate of my youth to the vibrant entrepreneurial landscape of Silicon Valley—has only reinforced my belief that, with vision and determination, technology can open doors most people never knew existed. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above