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
That’s great for them but ruinous for competitive balance at home; since the turn of the millennium, Lincoln have failed to win Gibraltar’s top league only twice.
—
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Employers Prioritize Their Own Goals Employers are under immense pressure to drive growth, shareholder value, innovate, navigate volatility, and survive in highly competitive landscapes.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
But some have criticized Anthropic for operating similarly to OpenAI, prioritizing scale in a way that exacerbates competitive pressures.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 31 May 2025
On the face of it, the salaries for mental health positions at California prisons are competitive with the private sector’s.
—Don Thompson, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for competitive
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.
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Employers Prioritize Their Own Goals Employers are under immense pressure to drive growth, shareholder value, innovate, navigate volatility, and survive in highly competitive landscapes.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
But some have criticized Anthropic for operating similarly to OpenAI, prioritizing scale in a way that exacerbates competitive pressures.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 31 May 2025
On the face of it, the salaries for mental health positions at California prisons are competitive with the private sector’s.
—Don Thompson, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for competitive
Cite this Entry
“Competitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/competitive. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share