competitive

adjective

com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpe-tə-tiv 

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

With competitive midterm races happening in nearly all of the early states, potential Democratic presidential candidates are already on the trail with purple-district incumbents and candidates. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Sharing the revenue 30 ways helps create competitive balance and supports the salary floor and cap. — Jim Bowden, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Dohaney is in a competitive market, not just with other mobile providers but with new entrants as well. — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Started listening to a new movie podcast with a competitive MFL community? — Vulture Editors, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see competition

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing competitive

• hyper-competitive

Rhymes for competitive

• appetitive
• repetitive
• anticompetitive
• noncompetitive
• uncompetitive

Kids Definition

competitive

adjective

com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpet-ət-iv 

: 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 

: depending for effectiveness on the relative concentration of two or more substances

competitive inhibition of an enzyme

competitive protein binding

competitively adverb