entrepreneurial

adjective

en·​tre·​pre·​neur·​ial ˌän-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ē-əl 

-ˈn(y)u̇r-,

ˌäⁿn-

: having to do with the creation and development of economic ventures : of, relating to, characteristic of, or suited to an entrepreneur

entrepreneurial skills/ambitions/projects

entrepreneurial zeal

With your colleagues and the kids out of the way, what do you buy for that spouse or friend who's gone the entrepreneurial route and is working at home?

—Don Crabb

Harvard Business School, long known as a gateway to corporate America, last October established a beachhead in the nation's entrepreneurial epicenter, California's Silicon Valley.

—Marc Ballon

… economic development is more likely to occur (if at all) in the more entrepreneurial southern region.

—Sarah Searight

also : engaged or interested in the development of economic ventures

an ambitious and entrepreneurial young woman

a company founded by a group of entrepreneurial scientists

entrepreneurialism

ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ē-ə-li-zəm 

-ˈn(y)u̇r-

ˌäⁿn-

noun

The map shows the distribution of high-tech manufacturing firms in the southeastern United States …, helping to identify towns and cities that are lodestones of high-tech entrepreneurialism.

—John Tierney

entrepreneurially

ˌäⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ē-ə-lē 

-ˈn(y)u̇r-

ˌäⁿn-

adverb

… some 25 teams, drawn mostly from the ranks of universities and entrepreneurially minded engineers …

—Joseph Hooper

Examples of entrepreneurial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Understanding how our benefits compare in terms of relevance, creativity and optionality means looking at larger companies, but also smaller and more entrepreneurial ones that are trying out bold new ideas. —Andy Watts, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025

Perhaps last weekend’s successful concession business (homemade cookies and snack bags were also for sale) will spark an entrepreneurial passion in one of the little girls. —Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025

Comcast has positioned Versant as an entity that will be freer to be entrepreneurial without having to funnel cable revenue to bolster NBC’s assets. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 July 2025

With over 30 years of professional experience, Nick combines his entrepreneurial background and global expertise to deliver transformational leadership development. —Matt Emma, USA Today, 18 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for entrepreneurial

• seigneurial