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

The result is a theatrical showcase seemingly crafted to put Cruise back in the competitive Oscar race for the first time in decades. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

Even as Democrats target his Virginia district to capitalize on a favorable 2026 environment, McGuire is doing the opposite of Republicans in some competitive races, who are softening their ties to Trump. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026

Intel makes central processors and has dabbled in AI chips, but doesn’t have a competitive product to Nvidia’s GPUs. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

Since retiring from basketball, Smith has become a competitive golfer and was recently involved with The Pro Tour, a new golf league featuring former professional athletes from other sports. — Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 29 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