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

For starters, California businesses tend to be entrepreneurial and resilient. —Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026

Hanslovan acknowledged that entrepreneurial grit alone isn’t unique—plenty of founders have weathered VC rejections or bootstrapped from a parents’ basement. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026

Michael and Susan personify the American Dream, having become successful by making a great entrepreneurial impact and going on to use their intellectual talents and financial resources to help others claim their own piece of American enterprise. —Ray Dalio, Time, 15 Apr. 2026

To illustrate his entrepreneurial vision, legend has it that King took a cocktail napkin and sketched out a triangle connecting Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. —The Oklahoman, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for entrepreneurial

• seigneurial