entrepreneurial

1 of 2

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

entrepreneurialism

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noun

en·​tre·​pre·​neur·​i·​al·​ism ¦än‧trəp(r)ə¦nər‧ēəˌlizəm 

-n(y)u̇r- also -nə̄r-

: the policies, practices, or attitudes of an entrepreneur

With the exception of raw materials, the location of industries is determined not by fixed advantage (either absolute or comparative) but by public policy or private entrepreneurialism.

—Michael Lind, Prospect, January 2003

Examples of entrepreneurial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Fedorov, just 35 years old, has spent his career idolizing the startup, entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley, and sought to recreate it in Ukraine. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 July 2026

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a similar larger-than-life profile and reputation for entrepreneurial genius as Musk does. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 July 2026

Business For Good San Diego, a chamber of commerce for companies that advance social or environmental causes, will target the grant funds toward, above all, underserved populations, offering entrepreneurial education and advocacy. — Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 2026

Distillery tours are about an hour long and cost $10 per person, and the experience is made even better by general manager Josh Daily, whose hospitality and pride in the operation reflect the city’s entrepreneurial confidence. — Rafael Pena, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

entrepreneurial + -ism

First Known Use

Adjective

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for entrepreneurial

• seigneurial