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

Last month, the BBC launched a competitive tender inviting pitches from producers to reboot the series. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

That’s probably still part of the equation to stay competitive in this industry, analysts said. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Its website, positioning, search visibility and competitive presence can reveal strengths to build on, gaps worth investigating and opportunities to discuss with leadership. — James Fratzke, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

All of his stops were targeted to reach media markets in races that Republicans view as competitive, per a GOP official, including an Ohio House race near the Kentucky border. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 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