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.

—Business Week

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

The at-bats were uncompetitive, and the fans who showed up for an early afternoon contest booed the Mets off the field. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2025

The Liberty held a team meeting after a loss that featured a deficit as big as 30 points with players that looked almost uncompetitive for most of the night. —Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 29 July 2025

Democrats today are uncompetitive across vast swaths of rural and blue-collar Wisconsin. —Craig Gilbert, jsonline.com, 18 July 2025

As such, any insulated industry will remain inefficient and uncompetitive once Trump lifts the tariffs. —Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 13 Jan. 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