entrepreneurial

adjective

en·​tre·​pre·​neur·​ial ˌän-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər-ē-əl How to pronounce entrepreneurial (audio)
-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 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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That work ethic has transformed into an entrepreneurial spirit in recent years: Genge has opened a gym and a groundwork company in Bristol, and now his coffee shop is on the way. Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 Students can also participate in team challenges that mimic real-world collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking. Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 22 May 2025 Mahnaz’s son is a Tasmanian devil spinning his ticking time bomb energy into entrepreneurial pursuits (running a gambling ring at school), bullying classmates and yelling at any adult that interferes with his forcefield. Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 22 May 2025 Both speeches stoked the entrepreneurial fire of these best and brightest dealmakers by urging them to not wait to chase your dreams. Justin Kroll, Deadline, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for entrepreneurial

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of entrepreneurial was in 1890

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Cite this Entry

“Entrepreneurial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entrepreneurial. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

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