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

Lei, who shot to fame with bold plans to unseat Apple Inc. in China, is counting on EVs to take on Elon Musk’s Tesla and fuel the final chapter of his entrepreneurial career. —Danny Bakst, Fortune, 27 June 2025

Although modern historians still debate the exact details of his role, Craig’s life story captures the entrepreneurial spirit, religious fervor, and frontier innovation that shaped early America and led to the creation of one of the world’s finest spirits. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Our first effort focuses on the entrepreneurial aspirations of Nate Bargatze, the Tennessee comic behind the ambitious Nateland Entertainment. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 June 2025

Businesses and philanthropists are uniquely positioned to scale this pivotal moment: one that calls for a new, more inclusive era of American innovation and entrepreneurial growth. —Walter Carter, Time, 21 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for entrepreneurial

• seigneurial