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

That creative and entrepreneurial spirit led to the launch of Golf Wang (an anagram of Wolf Gang) in 2011, at just 20 years old. —Matt Craig, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Meanwhile, the experts point to Meghan Markle’s expanding business pursuits in California, where the Duchess of Sussex has focused on building an entrepreneurial empire in her home state. —Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026

All proceeds are reinvested directly into the robotics program, giving this initiative a real entrepreneurial angle and allowing students to support and sustain their own team. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026

Parsons’ unprecedented path, Midas touch and entrepreneurial spirit epitomize the American Dream. —Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for entrepreneurial

• seigneurial