uncompetitive

adjective

un·​com·​pet·​i·​tive ˌən-kəm-ˈpe-tə-tiv 

: not competitive : unable to compete

The only real alternative would be to protect those uncompetitive industries against foreign competition.

—Businessweek

Greene took his latest Courageous to Australia for the current race, but he says he withdrew it when it proved uncompetitive against other boats backed by fatter treasuries.

—John Rousmaniere

uncompetitiveness noun

Examples of uncompetitive in a Sentence

As long as the school system keeps offering uncompetitive wages, people looking for jobs will apply elsewhere.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to industry analysis, tariffs exceeding 40% on shrimp will likely be passed to consumers, making imports uncompetitive and inevitably reducing domestic shrimp consumption. —Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026

Swaths of German industry, especially its Mittelstand — the small and medium-sized companies that form the backbone of Europe’s largest economy — have been rendered uncompetitive by Chinese products that are often just as good but a fraction of the price. —Andy Browne, semafor.com, 8 Jan. 2026

How utterly uncompetitive the Clippers have been. —Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025

This data gives Big Tech an uncompetitive advantage over any other business trying to train and develop AI, and this would go a small way towards levelling the playing field. —Alexandra Ebert, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for uncompetitive

• noncompetitive
• anticompetitive
• appetitive
• competitive
• repetitive

Kids Definition

uncompetitive

adjective

un·​com·​pet·​i·​tive ˌən-kəm-ˈpet-ət-iv 

: not competitive : unable to compete

uncompetitiveness noun