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

In 1969, Comley's entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish City Elevator, ushering in the start of a distinguished business career. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024

The entrepreneurial family has also taken the opportunity to show off their swim style on Instagram. —Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024

Motagua, Suazo Sandoval was remembered by family members as an entrepreneurial family man who sent money back to Honduras to buy medicine for sick relatives, birthday cakes for celebrations and soccer uniforms for kids from across his town. —Teo Armus, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

In addition to the new SBA office, the bill calls for the agency to develop relationships with tribes and tribal organizations and direct entrepreneurial development, contracting and capital access programs to tribal communities. —The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024

Buzzing with entrepreneurial energy, Antwerp’s creative culture is cooler than ever. —Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024

Seeking out grant funding is an often untapped opportunity in the entrepreneurial world. —Melissa Houston, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

San Diego high schools and middle schools used the program’s online collection of dance classes, inspirational video and entrepreneurial guidance and Sandifer traveled to the district each month to lead on-campus pop-up dance sessions. —Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 28 Mar. 2024

As the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction perfects on the 20th, you might be struck by the lightning of a brilliant entrepreneurial idea or a solution to your money woes that frees you from (at least some of) the conditions of your stuck-ness. —Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above