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
Despite Ford’s massive success in the industry, the actor has yet to win a major competitive acting award.
—
Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
If his Sunday performance was any indication, Holmes is already in competitive form.
—Abbey Mastracco, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
Goldman Sachs cited a durable competitive moat and strong same-store sales growth as reasons to turn more bullish on Dutch Bros.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026
Given last year’s poor performance, General Manager Mike Elias and David Rubenstein have done a brilliant job through trades and free agency of putting together what should be a very competitive Orioles team for 2026, at least.
—Paul Bledsoe, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for competitive
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Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
If his Sunday performance was any indication, Holmes is already in competitive form.
—Abbey Mastracco, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
Goldman Sachs cited a durable competitive moat and strong same-store sales growth as reasons to turn more bullish on Dutch Bros.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026
Given last year’s poor performance, General Manager Mike Elias and David Rubenstein have done a brilliant job through trades and free agency of putting together what should be a very competitive Orioles team for 2026, at least.
—Paul Bledsoe, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for competitive
Cite this Entry
“Competitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/competitive. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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
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